Heat and Hearts
by Andjuzane
Summary: Finn is heartbroken. Torn between his love for Flame princess and his dislike for 3rd degree burns. A radical idea pops into his head after the two's dramatic meeting. There will be love, excitement, envy, and of course, adventure. Takes place after Hot to the Touch.
1. Chapter 1

**So. Hey there guys. First ever story posted on the internet...Yaaaayyyyy... Anyway, tell me what you think. If its liked I can turn it into a series, if not Ill tie it in a burlap sack and throw it into the river. Reviews of all kinds are welcome, from grammar to writing style. Um, here ya go.**

* * *

"Goodby Finn.." Those two words seemed to echo throughout the goblin city. Drowning out the cries for help and the screams of pain, they bounced back at him over and over again. He reached up to feel the fresh burn on his cheek, wincing lightly as he touched the sensitive flesh. It hurt, but strangely not near as bad as the pain in his chest. It didn't sting or burn, it wasn't a pinch or sharp spike, it just hurt. A throb of agony with every heartbeat.

Finn looked toward the horizon, and watched as the Flame princess's burning trail slowly diminished. He watched as she kept moving further and further away from him. No doubt heading towards the fire kingdom, back to her solitary prison in the lamp. Oh how he wanted to stop her again, to tell her to stay with him. But she was right, they were opposites in every way. She was royalty, he was just a hero, she was raised among nobles, he was raised by dogs, she was living flame, and he was just a human. The last human.

The last… Was he destined to be alone? Wasn't it enough to be the only known human in Ooo? Would he have to live the rest of his life without the comfort of someone beside him? That's just not fair. He fights for justice and good, he throws himself at danger to protect everyone else. So why is he the..

"FIIIIIIIIIIINN!" A large yellow dog climbed up beside him, knocking him out of his soul searchy mood.

"Finn, oh my glob man, everyone's dead man! They're all burned! There's barbecued bods everywhere." Jake yelled wide eyed.

"WHAT?" Finn was on the verge of losing it. Not only did the girl he liked reject him, he couldn't save anyone!

" Nah, I'm just kidding. I saved them, everyone's fine see?" A crowd of goblins waved from behind him. And a few gave him the thumbs up. A flood of relief passed through him, followed by a flash of annoyance. But before he could say anything Jake spoke up.

"So how'd everything go with flame princess?" asked Jake.

"She hugged me then left."

"Whoa, how did it feel?"

"It hurt." More than you'll ever know..

"C'mon man, lets head home." The yellow dog stretched his hand onto Finn's shoulder.

"Yeah.. Let's go."

* * *

The young human stared at the ceiling, his face contorted in concentration. It's as if the ceiling knew the answer to every problem he had but was too much of a butt to tell him… Nah, it was just a ceiling. Gentle snores wafted through the air along with the occasional grunt or whispered word from Jake. He turned on his side, staring out of his sleeping bag and through the battered window. It was no use, he just couldn't sleep. Not with her on his mind.

"Man, this bites." He got up and fumbled around in the dark a bit. A red flash cut through the darkness as he lit a match for his candle. Finn didn't have to go to the bathroom, he wasn't hungry, and he certainly didn't feel like going outside. So why did he need the light? He realized, he just wanted to see the flame. It danced and shuddered on its wick, casting blinking shadows against the floor and walls.

"Oh glob, Im turning into a pyro." He whispered to himself. Imagine that, the great hero of Ooo likes to start fires and fell in love with a princess made of flames. Finn stared into the orange glow, his eyebrows furrowed in thought… _A pyro... _Wheels started to grind and turn in the youths head, bouncing in and out of comprehensible sentences. And then it hit him, a bolt of an idea so strong he sat straight up in his sleeping bag.

"Why defy nature…. When I can become part of it?" he whispered into the air. "JAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!"

The golden canine yelled as he was blasted awake by Finn's insane call. He flipped out of his drawer and landed on his face with an oomph. Quickly recovering he took a guarded position while scanning the room.

"WHAT, WHO WHERE? Finn, what is it man!"

"I know how I can be with flame princess!" Finn yelled excitedly, he jumped out of his sleeping bag and started dancing around the room.

Jake just looked at him with a tired expression before facepalming. "Couldn't you wait till morning to say it? You scared the blubber out of me!"

"Nah dude I can't, it's just to rad of an idea to wait!" he continued to bounce around the room, oblivious to the fatigued dog's stares.

"Alright, fine. I'm awake now so I might as well hear it." Jake made one of his hands into a lasso and threw it at Finn, trapping the bouncing boy and stopping his bouncy rampage of bouncing. With a tug he tossed him back on the bed, while he sat down next to him.

"Man I don't know where you get all that energy from but you need to chill out homy. What's the plan that's got you all excited?"

Finn gave him the biggest grin his human features could achieve.

"Im going to make myself a fire elemental!"

Jake just stared at him, no emotion visible on his canine features.

"Give me a minute bro." He turned and stretched down the stairs heading for the kitchen, more precisely, the coffee maker. After adding the beans and water he turned the home brewery on and studied his nails as it gurgled along. Several minutes later a small ding signaled the coffee's completion. Mug of said steaming beverage in hand he headed back upstairs and returned to his adopted brothers side. Finn was still smiling giddily as he stared into the distance. Jake took a large gulp, turned his head, and proceeded to spew the dark liquid with a delayed shock reaction…. right into Finn's still smiling face. Despite the searing temperature, the pleasing aroma and the 75 percent dog slobber composition of the liquid, Finn kept on smiling.

"I know dude." He said as the coffee ran down his features. "I'm a genius."


	2. Chapter 2 Bacon and Flames

**Sup party people? So first things first, thank you all for your feedback! I love seeing whats wrong and whats right with my work and then working to make it better! I almost teared up when I passed the 7 review mark...sniff... But anyway, all reviews are responded to by pm, if they aren't and I missed you, I'm soooooooo deeply sorry. Ill do better, I promise! Just please don't hit me anymore! Oh, excuse me. **

**Kirsten: Glad I could bring some laughter into your day! I was trying to keep them both as close to show character while adding some type of complex feelings. Your giving me good motivation!  
**

**Guest: The hilarity will only continue!**

**Ju-Ju: Why you no log in? Is there no love? I MADE DIS FOR YOU! I kid my friend, I will definitely continue.  
**

**Now, about the story. I was watching a few episodes of AT and I came to a conclusion. Jake is seriously random. So I tried to add that in while still promoting somewhat serious scenes. I like this chapter, but I think it lacks something. Detail maybe? (Shrug.) Show me the light my blessed reviewers and pave me a path to higher level writing with your words of truth!  
**

* * *

Golden rays of sunlight peaked over the horizon, washing the grasslands in its warm glow. It blanketed the lone tree house, piercing the gloom inside through the many paned windows. A puff of smoke from the chimney, along with several stray noises, revealed the inhabitants to be awake and starting their daily routine.

Jake the dog stood at the stove, pouring batter into one pan while stretching out a second pair of arms to maintain the bacon and eggs. With a movement that only years of practice could have achieved, he flipped the strips of bacon, frying eggs, and bubbling pancakes into the air while switching the bacon and eggs into each other's skillet. The bacon grease would seep into the eggs giving it that extra flavor, while the bacon would just be bacon, succulent, salty bacon... sooo good.. Jake mentally snapped himself out of his pork induced fantasy, and made yet another arm out of his body. This one formed a noise cone for a hand which he brought to proper use.

"FIIIIIIIIINN! BREAKFAAAAST!" he yelled in a shrill female like voice, the cone amplifying it through the tree house. An indistinguishable sound wafted down from upstairs. Something between a groan and a slur of words.

"DUDE! TWO WORDS! BAKE. UN." A loud THUMP came from the floor upstairs, followed by a muffled "GLOBIT!"

Jake chuckled to himself. ' _No mortal can fight the other white meat. Well, maybe except for Mr. Pig, but that's like cannibalism or something._ _I wonder if hes ever tried it?_ _He said he used to eat criminals. Surely it wasn't just all candy people, got to have some variety on your diet…_ "HUUHHHHH!" he gasped. _What if he actually had a twin brother in a rival gang? And, and, what if they were forced to fight each other, and he won? Oh my glob, he had to eat his own brother! Oh the horror! How can he live with the guilt!?'_

The golden canine was snapped out of his shocking revelation by the white headed, human boy sliding down the ladder fireman style.

" I smell breakfast meat!" Showing an overabundance of energy for just waking up, Finn back flipped over to the table and into his seat, leaving his arms in the air like a gymnast for a few seconds. Jake divvied up the food onto 3 plates and carried them to the table setting one down for himself, one for Finn and a third for Beemo's spot.

"Hey wheres Beemo?" he asked. Finn just shrugged, his mouth crammed full of eggs.

With ninja like grace, a figure unlatched itself from the ceiling and fell upon Jakes head. The diminutive shadow grabbed his ears and pulled back, making Jake scream in surprise and pain. He ran around the room, panicking and trying to fling off the tiny being. His mind began racing back to Mee Mow, and the small cat's incredible hatred towards him.

"AHHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OOOOFF!" before he could reach back and grab the hostile creature, it yanked his ears to the side, forcing him to hit the floor on his back. The shadow flipped around and revealed itself to be none other than the Beemo in question. The tiny computer had a spoon pointed at Jake's throat, and gave a confident smile.

"If I wanted to, I could have killed you." He said in his cute electronic voice.

Finn hadn't moved through the whole ordeal, but he smiled and gave a small laugh at the end line.

"Haha, nice." He said before taking another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

Jake was not amused. "Beemo, what have I told you about sneak attacks in the house?" the square robot looked down, mumbling something under his breath.

"What's that?" asked Jake as he enlarged his ears.

Beemo sighed. "Always go for the legs. That way they can still talk but they can't run..."

"That's right, now go sit down and pretend to eat your breakfast!" The green android quickly took his place at the table and picked up a rasher of bacon. He pushed the delicious strip against his screen, smearing trails of grease down his digital face.

The trio finished their morning meal quickly. Finn grabbed the now empty plates (Beemo had thrown his serving out the window and onto a group of dancing bugs) and silver ware before heading to the sink.

"So bro, give me the run through of this plan of yours again." Jake called from the table while reading the newspaper. "I was a little foggy last night, and I thought I heard you say you wanted to be a fire elemental."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the plan." Said the human nonchalantly.

Jake stretched his head above the top of the newspaper and looked at his brother.

"But duuuuude! You'd be giving up your humanity and junk for an evil fire babe!" Finn turned around with a serious face. "Nah man, she's not evil, she's just… misunderstood." He thought back to seeing her in the clearing. He remembered her face as she studied the flowers before incinerating their very being. Her features painted with curiosity and wonder. She was sheltered; being trapped in that lamp had kept her away from everything in the world, both good and bad. The love struck teen finished the last of the dishes and placed them in the strainer to dry. He sat down across from Jake as he folded up the morning paper.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just get some kind of magic artifact or something to make you fire proof?"

Finn though for a moment, yeah it would probably be easier, and yeah there's probably something out there that could do it, but that wasn't what he wanted to do.

"Yeah it would." He replied. "But I want to show her I care. She's been trapped all these years because people were afraid of her, treating her like some kind of dangerous monster. Can you imagine how lonely that is?" he stared out the window, his eyes losing focus. " If I do this, I can show her that theres someone who would give up everything just for her…"

Jake gave a sigh. "You're really into this dame huh?" Finn nodded, his expression still vacant.

"Alright then, it's settled. I'll help." Finn snapped back to attention.

"You will?"

"Yeah, I don't need my legs to see that you obviously love this girl. And if it makes you happy being with her, than who am I to stop you?"

"Thanks man." The two bro fisted across the table.

"So." Said Jake while leaning back against his chair. "How do you plan on becoming a living, loving fireball?"

"Oh that's easy I just…uh…You know I just need to get a…..um….Hmm… How am I going to do this?" he looked over to Jake who just gave him an "I don't know, its your idea" shrug. The two pondered in silence until a loud "AHEM" grabbed their attention. Beemo was standing on the table with an excited look on his screen.

"May I suggest trying science?" The two looked at Beemo for a moment, then at each other.

"Candy Kingdom?" asked Jake.

"Candy Kingdom." agreed Finn.


	3. Chapter 3 Sugar Craze

**I'm baaaAAAAAaaack! Sup? Well I'm a bit dissapointed in myself for missing a week. But I have a good excuse! Its two words that will make any student shiver... Financial Aid... WoooooOOOooOooO! Yeah, they really messed me up bad, but I managed to punch them in the face and come out on top, its how I roll. Now for an update in my life for those of you that have to read every single word in a story. I'm doing well, found out I friccen love chess, and airsoft is a fantastic new hobby! In fact, that's really the reason this got done today. Resting my weary legs and writing fan fiction, a simply fabulous afternoon. Anyway, here is chapta 3! Read it, review it, you can even print it out and eat it! (Not recommended.) But seriously, I love feedback. You got ideas? Say them. If I like them, I'll twist them into barely recognizable abominations. If not, well you tried.**

**Oh, and a little disclaimer since I forgot on the other two. I do not own Adventure Time. If I did, the depth of that show would touch the hearts of millions and possibly create world peace. That's only a theory though.  
**

* * *

Clouds drifted lazily in the breeze, conforming to various shapes and sizes before disappearing completely. Their shadows slid across the grasslands like water through a stream. It was a beautiful day in Ooo, and almost everyone knew it. None more so than the duo making their way across the open fields. A honey colored dog the size of an elephant, and almost three times as tall, strode purposefully across the land. His long, noodle like legs allowed him to make hours of travel into mere minutes. A speck of white sat atop his back, jerking and moving like an anxious child. Which of course, is exactly what it was.

Finn scanned the horizon from his vantage point on Jake's back, searching for anything of interest. Good, bad, friend, foe, it didn't matter. He just needed something to take his mind of the subject at hand; Flame Princess. She was everywhere. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her smiling face. The way the grass moved in waves reminded him of her hair, burning so bright and beautiful. Even the clouds seemed to shift and merge into a perfect portrait of her. He let out a heavy sigh and laid down, pulling a chunk of Jake's stretchy body and morphing it into a pillow.

Jake could hear the teenager's sigh and decided to have a chat with his brother. He moved his face up from his front onto his back and stretched a copy of himself out next to Finn. If anyone would have looked at them they would have seen a boy and his dog riding a faceless, stretchy beast across the land.

"Hey man, how ya feeling?" asked Jake as stretched himself into a cross-legged position. Finn took a deep breath before responding.

"I'm alright, I just…. I just can't stop thinking about her."

Jake smiled at his adopted brother. "That sounds like love to me." He put his hand up to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Let me guess, everything you see reminds you of her right? The grass, the clouds, you even see her when you close your eyes." Finn looked over at him.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Jake smiled and stretched his fake body to lie beside Finn.

"It was the same for me and Lady." His eyes grew big and misty as he thought back to the beginnings of his relationship. "The more I learned about her, the more I liked her and the more I wanted to see her." He gave a happy sigh. "That's love man, and it's got the hooks in you hard." Finn nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… I think your right Jake."

"Course I'm right, I got a PHD in lovenomtry." Finn raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah man, its hanging above my dresser drawer. I'll show it to you when we get back."

"Haha, cool." Jake stopped and sniffed the air.

"Candy Kingdoms straight ahead brother. I'm going to go back to steering." His body double melted back into his larger form and his face reappeared up front. Finn got up and moved over to the back of Jake's head.

"You think PB will help us out?" he asked a bit nervously.

"Yeah dude, she'll totally help. She said it herself, she's too old. That means she wanted you to be with someone your age. I'm sure she's got some kind of machine or something that can make you into a fire proof lover boy." Finn smiled. Although going to see his old crush for help on getting together with his new crush was a bit awkward, he knew Bubblegum would understand. Besides, Jake was right, she had her chance and it's time to move on.

Finn was shaken from his thoughts by the sight of the Candy Kingdom coming into view. A massive castle, surrounded by a fair sized town and all enclosed behind towering guard walls, spread out before him. The two large candy guardians sat on opposite sides of the kingdom, blowing bubbles peacefully in the afternoon air. Jake shrunk down at the gates and Finn flipped of his back onto the ground. The two strode up to the popsicle guards at the front of the gate and Jake was the first to talk.

"Hey guys, we need to talk to Bubblegum pronto." He studied his fingernails, acting smooth.

"Of course, you are always welcome here Finn and Jake." Replied the left guard.

"The princess is in the castle, most likely in the lab." Said the right guard. The gingerbread gated opened up and the two strode through, making their way up Sugar Street towards the castle walls. Many of the candy people waved and a few even cheered as they passed by. Soon enough they made their way to the great doors of the main hall. With the push of a button a door bell chimed away, and the two giant slabs of chocolate moved inward. A small peppermint candy in a butler's uniform stood before them.

"Finn, Jake! How wonderful to see you. What do we owe the occasion?" he asked in a high pitched voice.

"Hey Peppermint Butler, is Princess Bubblegum in? We really need her help with some science stuff." Asked Finn while peering down the hallway.

"The princess is currently in the middle of an important experiment, but I'd be more than happy to assist you!" he ushered the two heroes in and closed the doors before heading down the hallway. He continued to talk as they made their way toward the labs.

"If I may, what is the situation that requires scientific attention?" This time it was Jake who spoke up.

"We want to make Finn here into a fire elemental so he can get his smooch on with Flame Princess!"

"DUUUDE!" Finn yelled. "What? Its true man, you can't deny it."

"Yeah… But you don't have to say it that way…" Said Finn through a blush.

"Oh my!" said Peppermint Butler. "That is quite a conundrum." The trio took a left and headed down into the castle basement passing doors of various sizes as they went.

"I'm sorry to say that we don't have that kind of machinery at this time. To change anything alive into a being of pure fire would require a momentous amount of energy, even more so to stabilize it." Finn immediately felt the excitement leave his body. The one lead he thought they had just disappeared in a puff of smoke. He stopped walking and slumped against the wall.

"Oh…. Okay… We'll just leave then…" Jake looked at his brother with pity, while Peppermint Butler gave him a smile.

"Although we don't yet have the technology, we still have our research." Finn looked at the small candy man, confusion etched into his features.

"Over the years, the Candy Kingdom has compiled much data on the other kingdoms of the land; The Jungle Kingdom, Dead Kingdom, Wildberry Kingdom, and others. As I recall we had quite a collection on the Fire Kingdom." Finn still didn't understand what the red and white butler was saying, but Jake snapped his fingers in realization.

"So what you're saying is that there could be something in all that info that could help us out!" Peppermint nodded. "Precisely."

"What do you say Finn, some light reading couldn't hurt right?" Finn gave a light smile. "Yeah man, let's give it a shot."

A large set of arched double doors marked the entrance to the royal library. The two adventurers could only gasp at the sheer size of it. Bookshelves spread out before them, each crammed to bursting point with literature. Scrolls, tomes, tablets, and many others mixed into the shelves and added to the diversity of the selection. Peppermint Butler guided the two heroes through the maze like structure of the library, weaving through the piles of books with a sense of guidance that only years of practice could achieve. Once or twice Finn and Jake almost lost the sugary servant, but he would stand and wait for them to return to his side. Finally after what seemed like half an hour of walking they came to a dead end. The shelves were arranged into a larger square with a small table in the middle, each shelf was neatly organized and all the books had red binding with golden lettering.

"This," gestured Peppermint Butler to the books around him. "Is all the compiled data on the Fire Kingdom and its inhabitants. Everything from history, to biology, to culture can be found on these shelves." Finn could only stare wide eyed at the work ahead of him, could he really read all these? A picture of Flame Princess alone flashed in his mind. "Let's do this." He said aloud. Jake gave him a thumbs up before turning to Peppermint Butler.

"Alright PPB, you heard the boy. We're gonna need sandwiches, drinks and ice cream to make it through this study session." He looked around at the shelves, the wrinkles on his forehead furrowed in thought. "Yeah, gonna need lots of ice cream." He said under his breath.

"I'll see to it immediately and notify the princess of your presence." He gave a slight bow and began to turn away.

"Wait!" said Finn. "Don't bother the Bubblegum with this. I don't want to distract her from her work." Peppermint Butler smiled at the young human. "Of course, Master Finn. I'll be back momentarily with your requests." And like that he began to walk back through the labyrinth of bookshelves, leaving the duo to their mission. Jake was the first one to speak up.

"Alright buddy, you take culture and I'll take biology. Don't want you scarring that precious mind of yours." He patted Finn, who had become red enough to be made of fire, on top of his hat.

"Alright, quit it!" he pushed his brother's magically extended arm away. "Let's get started."

After nine and a half hrs of reading and nearly 125 gallons of ice cream, Finn closed the final book. Mind you they didn't read every word of every book. That would have taken way to long. They set up a system of important and unimportant information. Other than the original fire elementals creation, and the occasional cross kingdom marriage, the Fire Kingdom history was mostly unimportant. Biology proved to be the biggest hit out of any of them, at least that what Jake had assured Finn. This came into question after Finn watched the golden dog turn a page, scream, and then hurl the book over the shelves and into the abyss of the library to be lost forever. That is until a certain red and white butler came into view; book slung under one arm and large amounts of ice cream covering most of his body. Jake sheepishly took the book back and started reading again, carefully peeking at each page before turning over to it.

Finn found the culture to be his favorite subject. Although they were a violent race, they balanced their aggression with chivalry. Other than the royal bloodline for the king and queen, there were no restrictions to how far a commoner can go. Through hard work and many trials a peasant could gain a seat in the royal court. This ensured that the ruling class understood what it takes to live and how it affects judgment.

So when the two brothers stepped into the cool night air of the outside, they both smiled in accomplishment. They may not have found an answer to their problem, but they gained enough knowledge to take one more step towards their goal. And as everyone know, knowing is half the battle… Then Finn's legs gave out from exhaustion and he fell, face first, into the candy cement of the front steps. Jake yawned and stretched himself up. He grabbed Finn and threw him on his back as he headed towards the grasslands.

"C'mon lover boy, you did enough for today." A few sleepy grumbles came in reply. Jake just chuckled. "Yeah bro, now you'll be ready for her." He stretched his legs and started taking long strides towards their tree house home.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the candy castle labs.

Princess Bubblegum fell back into her chair, letting out a huge sigh. For 3 days now she had been working nonstop on her latest project, the sugargenics matrix. With it, her subjects could finally be able to stand against fear without exploding. An evolutionary breakthrough for all candy kind. A knock on the door brought her back to the world.

"Enter." The door opened and Peppermint Butler walked through, silver platter in hand.

"My lady, it's been twelve hours since your last meal. You must keep your strength up." He sat the tray on the desk in front of her, pulling off the top to reveal a plate of spaghetti with a slice of garlic bread and a glass of water. She could tell it was made fresh from the steam that still wafted off the noodles. The sauce filled the air with its mouth watering aroma, rich with just a hint of red pepper spice. Bubblegum's stomach sent out a growl, letting everyone know of the torture it's endured. She blushed and started to dig in, reveling in the taste of her favorite dish. Peppermint nodded his approval and handed his mistress a napkin.

The pink humanoid dabbed her face before smiling down at her butler. "Thank you PB, you always take care of me." He smiled at the praise. "It is my job your highness."

The princess began talking in between bites of her pasta. "So tell me…. Has anything interesting happened….. While I've been working?"

"I'm afraid not ma'am. Everything has been pleasant and calm in the kingdom. Although Finn and Jake did visit for quite a while today." Bubblegum tilted her head. '_Odd, they usually talk to me when they come here._ "Really? Was everything ok?

"Just fine, they merely did some research on the fire kingdom."

"Huh, I wonder what for..." She reached down for her glass and drained it in one gulp.

"From what I gathered they were trying to find some way to change Finn into a fire elemental." Bubblegum slammed her glass onto the desk and turned to face Peppermint Butler.

"WHAAAT?" he shout echoed through the lab. "Why would they want to do that!?"

Peppermint Butler stepped back nervously, his eyes downcast. "I believe Finn has fallen in love with the princess of the Flame Kingdom and is searching for a way to be with her without getting injured."

Bubblegum sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what was said. Finn, the hero of Ooo, her hero, was in love with Flame Princess? It was at this point the pink genius's mind broke apart to analyze the situation. When dealing with a scientific problem she often debated with herself, but this was on a whole new level. The first to speak was her voice of reason. _'This is a good thing! You told him you didn't like him in that way so he found someone who does! You should encourage it!'_ Emotion was next to speak. _'But he liked me.. How could he just move on like that?'_

'_You try being rejected REPEATEDLY! Even after saving the person in question countless times.'_

'_Its not that I didn't like him! I just couldn't…. I'm a princess, he's a hero, and he's so young!'_

'_But you didn't even give him a chance. The one creature in Ooo who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. Orphaned as a child, the last of his kind, all he wanted was to be loved by someone and you pushed him away._

Reason was right. She had done nothing for the poor boy while he put himself in danger for her and and everyone else countless times. She was responsible for this. A new voice entered the argument.

'_And now he'll never come back.'_

'_What?' _Asked Reason and Emotion.

'_Why would he? There's nothing here for him. He saves the kingdom and gets what? A free dinner and a thank you from a friend? No, she will be the center of his attention. Nothing else will matter as long as she's safe. And who knows, he might even become the champion of the Fire Kingdom!_

Emotion was quiet. What was there to say? Reason spoke up.

'_No, he's not like that. Finn would come back for us, he would keep us safe._ Reason's voice was unsure, shaky.

'_You said it yourself. We turned him away._

'_But he still came back!'_

'_Because he still thought there might be a chance. Now he doesn't need us anymore…_

The was a silence that felt like it stretched for eternity.

'_So what do we do?_

'_We make him ours.'_

The sound of shattering glass jolted Princess Bubblegum from her thoughts. She looked down to see jags of broken glass scattered across the desk, several of them had embedded themselves into her hand as well.

"Princess!" cried Peppermint Butler as he ran to her injured hand.

"It's okay Peppermint, I'll take care of it." Her voice was calm, with a hint of determination. "I need you to do something for me." The red and white candy person looked up at her, eyes filled with concern.

"Yes my lady?"

She started picking the shards of glass out of her hand. Wincing as each sparkling piece was pulled out. "Keep tabs on Finn and Jake, I want reports at least twice daily. And they are not to be aware of your presence." The final piece from her hand fell to the floor with a tinkling noise. Peppermint Butler took on a serious tone.

"Of course your highness, I'll send my shadow. Anything else?"

Bubblegum wrapped her hand with a nearby towel before answering. "Yes, first thing tomorrow bring the tailor in. I'm going to need some new clothes."


	4. Chapter 4 Magic, Magic Everywhere

**Hello all! First things first. Thank you. Thank you for the reviews, the favorites and the follows. You guys seriously make me think I could be a writer someday. That being said, here is the next installment of Heat and Hearts! Funny story really, I was staring at the magical blinking cursor in word when a thought crossed my mind. It said, write. Sooooo, I looked at my hands and they looked at me and I told them to write. And so they did! They wrote for an our, then two, then three! After the fourth came around I was getting famished, tired and a little bored. But when I tried to pull away, they wouldn't let me. When I told them that enough was enough I got backhanded by my own right and the left just kind of pointed and wagged its index finger. So I gave into their commands and ended up writing for 5 and a half hrs today. My oh my did it feel good. Now on this piece I tried to use that emotion thing, my friends tell me I'm a sociopath that doesn't have emotion but I went all kingdom hearts on their asses and said I could still pretend! So once again I need you to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong, if I can put in emotion or if I should stick to description. Also, there are a ton of cameos in here, at least that's what I think they're called. And its time for the disclaimer I have been neglecting. I dont own adventure time. Danm, I wish I did though. The episodes would break your emotion box. So, Bon apetit!  
**

* * *

It was nearly noon before our heroes managed to shake the sands of sleep from their eyes. Studying on such a deep level had left them mentally and physically drained. Jake was the first to wake, blinking as the late morning sun washed over his face. With a stretch and a yawn he headed toward the bathroom, images of a hot shower filling his mind. A few pleasantly warm, and wet, minutes later he emerged feeling refreshed and awake. He looked over on the bed to see his brother still slumbering away.

"Finn. Hey Finn." He poked the side of his sleeping bag in hope of rousing his brother from his deep sleep.

"Cmon buddy, time to get up. We overslept." A few more nudges only caused the boy to turn on his side, shunning the dog from any further prodding. Jake looked around the room for anything that could help him out. A glass of water on the bedside caught his eye and he gave a small smile. With a practiced ease he stretched over and grabbed the glass while positioning himself on the other side of the bed. He then hurled its liquid contents directly into Finn's face.

"OH MY GLOB FINN! IT'S THE OCEAN!" The combined shock of the word "Ocean" and the surprise moisture was enough to trigger his natural reflexes. In an instant, Finn jumped out of his sleeping bag and straight up. The young human boy easily cleared eight feet of height before latching on to one of the many protruding branches near the ceiling. This feat of physical excellence lost some of its prestige however, due to the high pitched, girly scream that accompanied it.

"Whoa." Said Jake as he watched the spectacle from the sidelines. Finn was searching the ground for any trace of the hated body of water. It's as if he expected it to have some kind of sneak attack in store. Before long he calmed down enough to see the golden dog with the empty glass in hand. Then it clicked into place.

"JAAAAKE!" he said with a scowl. "You scared the bajeebus out of me man!" Jake just shrugged.

"You wouldn't get up, so I had to improvise. Besides, look how high you can jump!" Finn looked around, suddenly realizing how he got up to his ceiling perch. "Huh, guess you're right." Putting the negative emotion behind him, Finn eased himself down so he was hanging from his hands and dropped himself the rest of the way onto his bed.

"Now that that's all taken care of I'm going to go make breakfast, you clean up and hurry down and we'll get our next plan together." Finn nodded and made his way to the bathroom. With a flourish, Jake stretched himself superman style down the ladder, his lower half following him a few seconds later.

Breakfast came and went without any major excitement. Jake had made his Everything Breakfast Burritos which really did include everything. This wouldn't have been a problem if "everything" was contained to edible ingredients. A pile of pots, pans and assorted cooking utensils lay in the middle of the table. A few sporting fresh bite marks.

"So." Said Jake as he picked his teeth with a spatula. "Science failed us, what's next?" Finn leaned back against his chair, thinking of a possible answer. Beemo however had raised his hand and was waving it desperately.

"Oooh, me! Pick me!" he squeaked in his electronic voice. Jake leaned back on his chair while kicking up his feet.

"Alright Beemo, lay it on me."

"If the explainable won't let you do what you want then it's time to try the unexplainable!" Finn and Jake just tilted their head at the diminutive robot before giving a unified "Whaaat?"

The little computer face palmed, or face screened in his case. "Magic! There's magic everywhere, try using it!" A duo of "Ooohhhhs." Came from the two adventurers as they finally caught on. Finn looked over at his brother.

"Sooooo.. Do you know any magic that could work?"

"Dude! I've been helping you the whole time! If I knew anything I would have said so!"

"Oh right. My bad." Jake looked up towards the ceiling.

"Who all do we know that deals with this kind of thing?"

"Well, there's Choose Goose, he normally knows all kinds of stuff about magic." Jake nodded a confirmation. "Hey, what about Magic Man?" Finn's face fell flat. "No dude. Just, no." Sensing his brothers dislike, Jake dropped the subject. "Yeah, he's a Jerk anyway."

* * *

Somewhere in Ooo a sandwich appeared in front of Magic Man. "Oh goody! Some chump's talking about me!" He grabbed the sandwich while laughing and continued on his way.

* * *

Jake tapped his chin for a few moments. "Oh! How about Marceline? She's a thousand years old! She has to know something." Finn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's good. We'll ask her tonight. Anyone else?" This time it was Beemo who spoke up.

"There is a wizards festival going on today and tomorrow!" Finn gave Beemo a shocked look. "Where did you hear this at?" The android smiled at Finn.

"The guys on my soccer team were talking about going! They said there's going to be all kinds of magic users there and they always sell cool magic things!"

Jake stood up, his eyes wide with excitement. "Dude we have to go! Maybe one of these guys could help you out! Or even better, we could find some kind of magical potion or something!" Finn thought about it. This could be a good chance to find something…

"Alright bro, I'm in."

"Sweet! We'll leave right after lunch."

"What? But we just ate breakfast!"

"Yeah, well all this scheming got me hungry again. Humph!" With that Jake turned back to the kitchen and started working on something to eat. Meanwhile, unknown to the planning trio, a shadow in the corner of the ceiling shifted slightly. Two yellow eyes opened and blinked once before closing again and melding into the dark corner. It slid through the cracks, it's body like a patch of liquid darkness. Slipping through the gaps of the tree house, the living darkness sped across the grasslands towards the candy kingdom. Its master had ordered it to return if the two heroes were planning anything. This surely counted for something. In moments it was at the edge of the grasslands, making its way through the forest. It melded with the shade and disappeared into the dark without a trace.

* * *

The trip to the festival was largely uninteresting. Finn chose to walk side by side with his brother since it wasn't too far away. The two argued the point of using a shield over another sword for defense with Jake being the one in favor of a shield.

"Dude, you can't tell me that another sword is better than a full kite shield." He stretched his arm into a shield for reference. "You can hide behind and stay safe from everything! Fire, ice, arrows. All those things just bounce of it, not to mention you can shield bash the enemy."

Finn just shook his head. "Nah man, you can just slice those things in half and keep on running at them. They won't have any idea what's happening when their attacks just get thrown aside! Then you go in for the double sword decapitation, which is like the coolest move ever!" he motioned with two invisible swords bringing his arms perpendicular to his body.

"Pshhhh, whatever man. We'll talk about this later."

"What? Why?"

Jake gestured to the small encampment below them, stretching his arms wide. "Cause we're here buddy!"

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was the Wizards Festival. Tents of varying sizes and colors were set up side by side. Banners and flags waved freely in the air, some on poles others just being held in the air by magic. Sparks and smoke flew through the air and off into the distance. The layout was fairly obvious from the duo's hillside view. It was set to be four squares inside one big square. Aside from the main roadways to get through the square, each individually sectioned square had its own maze of paths working through it. A circular stage sat in the direct center of the gathering, presumably for awards and other announcements. Even though it was only noon the place was packed with people pouring in and out in a steady stream.

The two made their way down the hill and to the front of the camp, a small booth with the word "Info" sat in front of them. Jake made his way over and talked to the goblin before coming back with two pamphlets. He handed one to Finn.

"Alright , I got us two maps. We'll get to the middle and split up kay?"

"Sure, we can cover more ground that way."

Finn and Jake began trekking through the main alley of the festival, marveling at all the merchandise and booths. One wizard, a tall elf with green hair, was selling amulets guaranteed to lead you home if you get lost. One time use only of course. Another was offering potions to disguise the body, he demonstrated by drinking one and turning from a balding old man into a rather curvy brunette woman. Jake made a mental note to visit that one before they left. Further down the road they found a stall selling exotic and magical creatures. Miniature versions of hydras and chimeras were restrained in magical cages, while an impossibly large man with a black beard stared longingly at a variety of dragon eggs. Finally they made it to the middle stage. Jake took notice of several robed men taking up and preparing instruments, obviously there was going to be a magical, music show soon. Excitement lit up in his eyes as he imagined what kind of beautiful sound would accompany the show. A nearby stall worker noticed his excitement and spoke up.

"Don't get to wound up buddy." She said in a tinged accent. Jake looked at her with a questioning glance. "Why not?" She smiled at his puzzled look.

"They don't actually play together; it just ends up being every musician playing what they want and trying to show off the others." She grimaced remembering last year. "Sounds bloody terrible." The yellow dog was crushed. Music wasn't supposed be about who's better, it's about making you feel. He shook his head making in impossibly rash decision.

"Do you have to be magic to play?" he asked.

The vendor scratched around her horns. "I don't think so; you just need a magic instrument. But I don't think adding another noise is really going to make it any better." Jake shook his head again. "I don't want to play with them, I want to organize them. They're lost and they need a path. I will be the lantern lighting their way…" He brought up a fist in emphasis to the depth of his words. The vendor looked at him for a moment before giving a sincere smile.

"You have my attention young one. Here, I've got just the thing." She disappeared into the tent behind her before coming back with a gilded box. A single music note was engraved on the lid. Jakes eyes grew wide and cartoony. "What… What is it?" She laid the box before him before opening it. Light spilled out from the seam, blinding the canine for several seconds after the unveiling. In a nest of red silk laid a cowbell of solid crystal alongside an onyx wand. Jakes features went flat. "It's a cowbell.." The vendor abruptly slapped him across the face. "It is THE cowbell! Used centuries ago to quell the anger of the gods. With it you can control and shape music like clay!" Jakes face filled with excitement once more as he gingerly picked up the shining instrument. His visage became deadly serious. "I'll do it. Oh, but I don't think I have enough to buy this…" The vendor waved it off. "I'll make you a deal. If you can get the crowd to cheer you can have it free of charge, BUT, if you get booed off stage I get to take your musical talent. What do you say?" Jake thought hard about the proposition before him. This was obviously a very powerful item, but to risk his ability to play music? A stray note from the stage reached his ears; it was horribly out of tune. "Fine, but I'm not doing it for the bell. I'm doing it for the people." She nodded and watched as he walked away, golden box in hand. "Of course. That's why it chose you."

Jake rejoined his brother at the edge of the stage. "Hey man, I'm not going to be able to help you for a while." Finn looked at him with a hurt expression. "But dude! You said we were going to do this together!" Jake stretched an arm around the young human's shoulders. "I know bro, but there's something I have to do here." He showed Finn the magic instrument and explained his deal with the vendor. Finn let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, go ahead. Just do me a favor and win, okay? I like listening to you play." He hugged his adopted brother and wished him good luck as he headed for the stage. Now alone he looked down at the map of the festival. The way the layout was set up was sectioning the major types of magic. The four squares were offensive spells, defensive spells, magical items, and dark magic. Finn decided it would be best to leave the dark magic for a last resort. He headed to the entrance to the nearest square, defensive magic, and made his way into the maze of stalls and people.

After passing yet another vendor offering him a spell that would summon a shield in combat, Finn finally decided to stop and ask for some directions. He saw a short dwarf smoking a pipe and reading from one of the scrolls piled around him.

"Excuse me, could you help me out?" asked Finn a little hesitantly. The old dwarf smiled at the human boy and jumped to his feet.

"Yesh, yesh. What can I do for you young man? A barrier shpell? Perhapsh shomething to shummon a shecond shword for defenshe?" Finn was caught off guard. Apparently he made the right choice with this vendor. "Uh, no, thank you. I was wondering if you know about anything that could turn someone into an elemental?" The dwarfs eyes twinkled and he gave a thoughtful "Hmmmm." He turned and looked at his book case, selecting several scrolls and tomes as he talked. "Awww, what you want is transhformation magic. A very rare and powerful branch of the magical world." He dropped the pile of literature on the counter, pulling off the book from the top and opening it to a page in the middle. An illustration of a person turning into a water element and spears passing through him took up the page. "It'sh quite an effective defenshe option when dealing with physhical attacksh."

Finn looked over the page, excitement slowly making its way through his limbs. This is it. This is the answer. "How long does this last?" he asked while barely keeping his voice from wavering. The vendor shrugged. "Anywhere from a couple shecondsh to a couple minutesh, it'sh quite draining." He looked up in time to catch the vigor from Finn's face. "You're not looking for fighting magic lad, come, resht and talk." He gestured to a stool that definitely was not there a moment ago. Finn sat, relieved to have a rest form walking all morning.

"Well, I kinda have a problem…" The dwarf nodded, urging him to continue. Finn took a deep breath and looked the vendor in the eye.

"I sorta fell in love with an elemental.. The only problem is she's a fire elemental." The aged wizard gave him a knowing smile as he puffed on his pipe. "I shee." He said, each word punctuated with a puff of smoke. "You want to be together, but cant thanksh to a little thing called pain." He took a deep breath before letting loose a cloud of smoke that took the form of a sailboat and started making its way over the tents. "Sho, why not get something shimple like a permanent flame shield or a power dampener for the little lady?" Finn looked at him with a small smile. "I thought about it, but you see, she's been told that she was evil her whole life. That only an insane person with a death wish could handle her. I wanted to show her that there's someone out there willing to throw everything away for her. And that she doesn't have to change for someone to love her." The merchant stared at him in silence for a moment, his green eyes looking him over. "I shee. You're the one who tried courting the princshesh of the Fire Kingdom." Finn gasped. How had he known? He stood up and took a guarded stance. The dwarf just laughed at him. "Now, now lad! Jusht relaxsh. I've got no quarrel with you, in fact I'm quite relieved that shuch a noble young man freed the princesh from her prishon!" He took a deep breath from his pipe and exhaled. This time the smoke turned into a small bird and flitted around the stand. "I believe I know of shomething that can help. It'sh called the Orb of Osyrous." Oddly, there was no trace of his accent when he said the name. He got up and searched through the bookcase once more. Then came back to the front with a massive tome in tow and slammed it onto the wooden table. A cloud of dust exploded fourth sending the two into a coughing fit.

Finn moved closer as he watched the old dwarf look through the index before giving a grunt and opening it to the page he wanted. A highly detailed picture of the orb took up two pages of the book. It was small enough to hold with two hands and the exterior was polished perfectly smooth. What stuck out were the three gems that seemed to float inside the orb as if they were held in place in a perfect sequence as it was created.

"Thish ish a very powerful artifact. It balances the power between 2 beingsh no matter the differenche in shcale." He looked up at Finn. "You shee where Im going with thish don't you? With it you can balanshe out the deshtructive power of the princesh while giving you the ability to be with her." Finn couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only could he be with Flame Princess, he could help her with her destructive burden!

"Where can I find this?" he said in a whisper. The old man sighed as he sat back in his seat.

"Shadly, that is a queshtion you'll have to answer yourself." He relit his pipe. "But I can send you in the right direction. There'sh a man in the dark magic section of the feshtival that goes by the name of Giacamo. He hash hish fingersh in every underworld deal from here to the Nightoshpere. Tell him about the orb and that Connoray is calling in his favor. He'll know what you mean." Finn stood up, his legs shaky with excitement. Finally, a solid lead!

"Thank you! You have no idea how much you helped me Mr.!" The vendor just nodded with a smile. "It'sh my pleasure son, I was young once and I understand. Sometimesh you can't let them go." Finn quickly pulled out a sack of gold and put it on the counter. "Here, it's the least I can do." The vendor pushed it back. "No no, you need this far more than I do." Finn shook his head.

"No, seriously I don't. I've got an entire room filled with it. Besides, I want to these books, they could help out in the long run.

With a final farewell and thank you to the helpful dwarf, Finn started to head back to the stage to check up on his brother. According to the pamphlet it was nearly time for the music show to start. The honey colored canine immediately stuck out on stage. Mostly because he had stretched himself to roughly ten foot tall as he made sure everyone was following his directions. By the look on his face it was pretty apparent that things weren't going his way. Finn confirmed his suspicions as he got closer to the stage.

"NO, NO, NO!" Yelled the dog in frustration. "Sander! You're supposed to play in sync with Cohen! And Ulamog, you're supposed to sit next to Kozi and provide wind support! GAAHHHHH!" He massaged his temples in frustration. Finn jumped on the stage and came up behind him. "Dude, whats going on?"

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiinn! Its terrible! These guys can't get along at all! They'll never be ready for the show!" He shrunk back down to his regular size and sat on the floor. "And now I'm going to lose my talent cause I couldn't keep my mouth shut.."

"But what about the bell?" Jake pulled a box over to him from the side and gently pulled the bell from it. "I don't know man, I'm kind of scared of it." His brother gave him a questioning look. "No seriously Finn! When I hold it I can hear the music in the air, and it calls to me." His eyes grew distant as he stared off. Finn snapped his fingers a few times, and broke his brother's trance. "Wha? Oh, sorry."

"Listen Jake, this may not be the time, but I found a way to fix my problem." Jake gasped and put his hands to his cheeks. "Really!? But you don't look like you're made of fire, what did you do?" Finn shook his head.

"Not now man, I'll tell you after the show. You got to do this thing man, kick these nerds into gear with that bell and make sweet music. I know you can do it brother, I'll be in the crowd watching." With a thumbs up the human boy flipped of the stage and took a seat out in the audience. The crowd was already gathering, all were new to the festival though so didn't know what to expect. Jake gathered his wits and took his place in front of the group. The crowd went silent as the clock chimed three, and announced the start of the show. Throwing away all caution Jake took the bell and raised it overhead while bringing the onyx wand to meet it. The instant the two entities met a pulse of force emanated from Jake and traveled through the encampment. It silenced all talk and noise, potions stopped gurgling, animals stopped shrieking, and all fell silent with their heads turning to the stage. Then the music began.

The wind instruments were the first to sound. A duo of bagpipes cut through the air, their long mournful tunes spinning a tale of sorrow. The wood flutes came in next, flitting in and out of the sorrow with their high pitched sounds. Setting the tone of the piece as a sad story with dashes of happiness sprinkled in. Jake could only stand wide eyed and slack jawed as he listened to the noise around him. This was his piece. At the beginning of the training session this was what he envisioned. He didn't even have time to organize them in proper seating let alone teach them the song. So how did they know? He looked down at the glistening bell in his paws and realized the truth. This artifact had made it happen. If he was right the drums should enter the fray right… about…now. He no longer thought it than it happened. Heavy drums joined forces with the wind, setting a low and powerful beat. They resounded with such a deep bass that nearly everyone in camp could feel the rythym in their chest.

Finally it was time for the strings to enter play. No longer the high pitched wailing that everyone heard before, but a melody that seemed to be going through the cycles of life and death itself. The crowd gasped as if they were watching some type of imagined play in their mind, many had their eyes closed doing just that. Finally the many instruments had combined into one well tuned machine, playing a melody that could only have been created by an aged genius or a young madman. But there was something missing. Jake could feel the rythym, he could feel the harmony. But it was lacking. It needed a voice. Once again the music complied too his will as a young, beautiful voice joined the fray. He looked frantically for its source but gasped when he saw the owner. It was none other than the very shopkeeper who sold him the bell. Her voice was melodic and deep, relaxed and sincere and most of all confident and unwavering.

"_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII beliiiiieeeeved in a world of gold_

_One that held my dreeeeeeaaaams and fought the coOOOooollld _

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII beliiiiiiiieeeeeeved in a world so booooooooold_

_Where it never rained and we never grew oooooOOoooold_

'_You used to say it's such a silly thing_

'_Forgotten memories and a tarnished ring_

_But I knooooow_

_The truth that you won't let go_

_The pain you heeeeeld _

_And the scars in tooooow_

'_Some come with me my dear leave your worries and your fear_

'_Together we'll remain_

'_In our would of dreams and rain_

'_I hope to see the day that you take my hand say_

_Come with me noooooow_

'_You used to say it's such a silly thing_

'_Forgotten memories and a tarnished ring_

'_But even now I hear your pleas_

'_Across the desert and the stormy seas_

_Although we're so far away I can't help but remembeeerrrr_

_Yoooouuuuurrrrrrr loooooooooooove!"_

She finished on a low note, pushing every bit of emotion she could into her voice. Jake couldn't help but wipe his eyes. He looked out into the crown to see many of them wiping their faces on sleeves or leaning against their loved ones. He also spotted Finn in the front row. The young boy had buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking in a tear filled rhythm. He finally felt that the song had reached its end, the rest of the instruments died down leaving only the bagpipes to finish with their sorrow filled tune. Finally they silenced themselves as well. In the moment of emptiness Jake once again struck the crystal cowbell and sent another wave through the gathering. For a few moments there was only silence. Then the crowed went ballistic. Shouts and whoops filled the air as nearly everyone in the festivals walls clapped in approval. Many of the instrument wizards looked confused, this was the first time anyone had actually liked their work. Jake gestured them forward into a line and they bowed to the crowd, getting another massive round of applause. The singing vendor made her way through the crowd back to her tent, smiling all the way. "Sometimes, all you need is a little more cowbell."

Jake stretched over the crowd to where Finn was sitting, receiving several pats on the back as he went.

"Finn! Are you okay buddy?" he looked over his white headed brother in concern. Finn looked up at him, eyes still red and shiny. "Yeah man, that was amazing." Jake pulled out the golden box. "This thing is strong Finn, really strong. I'm only going to play it on special occasions." He gingerly put the box into a backpack stretched from his own back. "So what did you find out man?" Finn wiped his eyes one last time before standing up next to Jake. "I found something that fixes a lot of problems." He quickly filled him in about the nice dwarf that helped out, and told him about the orb. Once again Jake went wide eyed. "Dude, that's math! Where do we find it?"

"We have to go into the dark magic section. That's where we get our first lead." The two nodded and made their way through the throng of musical fans toward the eerie, dark colored tents ahead.

* * *

**The cowbell thing was a Zanegar's idea. It may have been a joke but I took it deadly serious. If you have any little quirks that you want in the story then put them in with a review. Dont just say I want my character in there, I'll be all like Girl please. You must give an in depth review. I will then contact you and see what you want, then probably twist your words maliciously. So yeah. **


	5. Chapter 5 Defense Against the Dark Arts

**Heeeellooooow! Im Nigel Thornberry. And this week we'll be reading this in my voice. Ha! Did I get anyone? No? Maybe I should have used the "Good news everyone!" Meh, whatevs. So, its been 3 weeks since my last update. Oh fanbase, can you ever forgive me? This whole college thing alongside a job, it just keeps me so busy. Most of the time I just nap anymore, man are they nice. Anywho, about this story. I toned down the feel after that last little escapade. It was fun, but there's no way I can do it for 2 in a row. I don't really like this chapter, its cool but once again something feels like its lacking. And its not cowbell. There was enough of that to last the entire series. I just cant put my finger on it. Well, that's what you guys are for. Show me the error in my ways so I may cut it away and replace it with something better, something compleat... Oh yeah, disclaimer. I don't own AT or AT characters, I own the other guys, that's a lie, I don't own anyone, that's slavery, and its bad.**

* * *

Finn and Jake made their way through the surge of musical fandom that surrounded them and headed towards the northeast corner of the festival. According to the brochure, the dark magic section was a rule and law free area; there was simply too much crime to handle. So in order to ease the festival's collective mind, a barrier was erected around the dark magic section. Normally, little crimes like pick pocketing or stealing merchandise were easily taken care of with a simple spell, one that involved the perpetrator to be depantsed and launched from the premises on a rainbow, but in the dark magic section it's all up to the vendors and civilians to protect themselves. This brings the danger to a whole new level.

It wasn't long before our heroes began to notice how big of an impact the dark magic section made on its surroundings. The tents had steadily lost their colorful flare, replaced by dark purples, greens and black. Patches of grass had begun to die, leaving brown scars that grew in size as they approached their target. And then there was the sound. Whereas the other three sections were bustling with activity and noise, there was an unnatural hush that covered the area. Laughter and music sounded far off even though it was only a short walk away. Suddenly Jake stopped and put his arm in front of Finn. They were a couple steps away from the entrance. The tents had been placed tight together leaving only one way in.

"Wha? Dude, why are we stopping?" asked Finn as he looked down at his brother.

Jake just peered ahead shaking his head a bit. "I got a bad feeling bro, this place aint natchy and its really messing with my dog sense." He pointed towards the ground. "Look at the grass, it's like all dead and stuff."

Finn looked down and saw the truth in his brother's words. Instead of patches, the grass had now died completely. It followed a perfect circle around the premises of the tents.

"Yeah, according to the brochure this is the very edge of the barrier." Finn squinted into the entrance, but a murky, ink like fog wouldn't let him see in. "We gotta go in Jake, it's the only way." Jake looked nervously ahead, tapping his fingers together in an antsy rhythm. "Fine. But at least where that cloak you brought. Who knows how many people's butts we've kicked in there."

"Yeah, good idea." Finn hastily pulled out a traveling cloak, complete with hood, and threw it over his shoulders and over his backpack. It gave him a strange hunchbacked appearance. "How do I look?" he said as he threw up the hood.

"Like a creepy hunchback. It's perfect! Now me." Jake stretched himself taller and squeezed in his gut. After stretching out a few flaps of skin into a robe he was finished. He looked like an emaciated fighter with his ribcage showing through his skin robes. "Dude, that's rad!" said Finn as he looked his brother up and down.

"Alright Finn, let's do this. For Flame princess!"

"Yeah man, for Flame princess!"

They stepped forward onto the dead grass and disappeared.

* * *

Finn could hardly believe his eyes; it was like walking into a completely new world. As soon as they stepped into the barrier's limits it sucked them in. The barrier itself was a massive dome of dark energy, it swirled and writhed, blocking out all light from the outside world. What looked to be a miniature moon floated around the dome's limits, casting a gentle glow that brought everything into an unexplainably sharp focus. Finn was too busy staring at the barrier to notice any of the dark magic square itself, but an elbow from Jake quickly turned his attention.

The only way to describe it was horrifyingly fascinating. Like the other sections there were stalls crammed together and packed to the brim with merchandise. But the merchandise itself was what made the difference. Piles of scrolls and books were a common sight but some stood out from the others. One was bound with an actual spine for a spine, while another seemed to be dripping a dark liquid that leaked from its pages.

Like before there were cages of beasts that snapped and growled at anything close to them. Imps and miniature devils sat in their cage corners watching as the patrons passed by, occasionally spitting through their bars or making hex signs with their fingers. Baby basilisks were blindfolded and put out for display with a please do not touch sign posted below. The sign was bloodied from a few who either didn't or couldn't read.

The most disturbing of the shops was the body parts retailer that they boys passed. Hearts and livers from nearly every species hung in bottles from the stands top. Shriveled heads stared on forlornly, their mouths stitched into an eternal grimace. Then there were the limbs, legs and arms, stingers and claws, tentacles and fins, there were so many different types it was incredible. A large man was flexing a brand new pair of arms that had been magically fused below his originals.

"Nice muscle quality, how old was it?" he asked the vendor.

"It was only an adolescent minotaur, adults are far harder to come by." Came the oily response. As if remembering their owner the arms twitched and the right delivered a brutal uppercut to the large mans chin. He fell to the ground dazed. The merchant leaned over his bench.

"Yeah, they'll do that for a little while."

Finn felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Jake shaking his head. "You don't need em bro, besides that's not what we're here for." The human boy nodded, remembering his mission. The two continued on, warily making their way deeper into the square. After passing yet another poison stand, Finn had finally had enough. He went over to the most normal looking stand keeper her could find, this one had an eye patch and was only missing three fingers, and got his attention.

"Why hello young man, what can I do for you today? A curse, or maybe a hex? What will it be?" asked the vendor. Finn just shook his head. "Naw man, I need information. I'm looking for a guy called Giacamo." The shopkeeper cringed at the name but quickly controlled his expression. "Giacamo huh? Can't say I've ever heard of him. Sorry, cant help you. Bye bye then!" He was turning away when he heard the familiar rattle of gold on wood. Finn had planted a rather large sack of gold on the table and was staring at the vendor knowingly.

"It's yours if you tell me where he is." Said the human boy. The vendor looked at him, then the bag, then back to him as he weighed the risk. Finally he nodded and pointed further down the alley. "He's got a stand near the center of the square. It's the one made out of a dragon's skull, you can't miss it." In an instant the shopkeeper grabbed the gold and disappeared, closing down the stand with him. Finn went over to Jake who was admiring some large gems. "Check it out dude, these things can trap souls in them, then you can wear them like some kind of freaky soul fashionista." "Jake, that's just creepy man. Let's go, I know where he is."

The daring duo continued down the path looking for the previously described stand. When the vendor said you couldn't miss it, he wasn't joking. A massive bleached skull carved out a spot of its own among the many tents. The mouth had been turned into the shop opening, displaying merchandise of all kinds behind a fence of teeth, while the actual brain cavity had a door carved into it allowing access in and out of the cranium. A large, blue skinned man was sifting through the merchandise behind the counter, oblivious to all around him.

"Excuse me, sir?" said Finn in a shaky voice. The man looked up at him, standing to his full height. He easily dwarfed the young boy by several feet, with a pair of mismatched eyes that seemed to glow faintly.

"What is it boy, I'm busy." His voice was like grating gravel, deep and rumbling. Finn took a breath and steeled himself, meeting the large man's gaze.

"Are you Giacamo?" The vendor gave a grunt. "Who's wants to know?"

"I do." The man just laughed, mocking the white capped hero. "Listen kid, I don't know who you think you are, but you're out of your league. Now get lost, I've got merch to sell." Jake pulled on Finn's shirt trying to get his attention. "Dude, don't mess with this guy. He's crazy scary." Finn pushed his hand away, turning back to the jerkish shopkeeper.

"It's about the Orb of Osyrous." Hearing that name made the blue man stop, before turning back to Finn. "Who told you that name?" Finn smiled at him. "A man called Connoray, and he's calling in his favor." He stared at Finn and Jake for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "Come in, let's talk."

* * *

It turned out that Giacamo wasn't that bad of a guy, he just kept up a rough exterior to keep his reputation. To be honest, Finn really liked him and even Jake was warming up to him. Well, the homemade jelly donuts helped out with that. The trio was sitting in the skull room, each in a chair placed around the fireplace by the wall. Books and crates were piled high around the room, some big, some small, but all magical.

"So." said Giacamo as he sipped his tea. "You need the orb to balance out the princess of the Fire Kingdom's powers, that way you two will be able to finally overcome nature and be together, right?" Finn rubbed the back of his head, flushing a bit at the summary. "Yeah, that's the plan." Jake took a bite out of his donut. His eyes got big and glossy. "Oh my glob Finn, when he says it like that it's like some kind of wacked out love story you'd read to your kids!"

"DUDE!" Giacamo just chuckled. "He's right ya know, it's like a fairy tale." He finished the rest of his tea in a single gulp. "But, we got to make sure this tale has a happy ending." He leaned back into his chair staring into the fire.

"I remember when I got the orb, about 100 years ago." Finn, who was in mid gulp spewed his tea into the fire releasing a hiss of steam. "100 years! Man, how old are you!?" Giacamo just waved him off. "Old enough to know a few things, and don't spit, its rude. Now I didn't sell it until, oh I don't know, twenty years later? Yeah that's right. I sold it to a young pale girl, she said she needed it for her wedding. Paid plenty for it so I didn't pay no mind. Not long after I heard the news that the Nightosphere's vampire king, Markell or something, was brutally murdered. Then the new queen set up a new order and just left." Finn's eyes had gone wide and he looked over to see Jake with the same expression. They both knew where this was going. Giacamo however was oblivious to both of them, completely focused on his memory.

"I managed to get ahold of a painting from the Vampire Kingdom of the queen; sure enough it was that same girl that I sold the orb to. Man did I flip out, went into hiding thinking she would come back to tie up the loose ends. But she never did, she just claimed her title, set up her kingdom to be self sufficient and disappeared." He rubbed his temple, trying to massage the memory into clearer focus. "Her name was something like, Mary or…"

"Marceline…" the boy and dog said in unison. Giacamo's eyes snapped open and he stared at the two shocked faces before him. "Yeah, that's it…You guys know about her?" Finn just nodded. "Yeah… She's like one of our best friends.."

"…"

"WHAAAAAAAAT?"

* * *

After a brief explanation of how they met and some of the adventures they shared they finally managed to calm Giacamo down and convince him that they weren't here to kill him. He had been skeptical at first, but decided that Finn was too good of a kid to lie to him.

"Well, heres the deal Finn." Said the large wizard as he poured himself another cup of tea. "Marceline was the last to have and use the orb, that's obviously how she got her title. I don't know if she still has it or if she got rid of it, but talking to her will set you in the right direction." He put a few lumps of sugar into the murky brew before stirring and looking off into the distance. "I also think that it's about time for you to get out of here." Finn opened his mouth to protest but was cut off. "Now here me out. You've seen the kind of people who browse the Dark Magic section right?" They both nodded. "Wrong, you've only seen the day browsers. In about half an hour the sun will set and true dark folk will come in."

"The dark folk?" asked Jake. Giacamo nodded.

"Evil isn't just a word here, it's a business. Hero hearts are high class trade materials, and they won't hesitate to rip either of yours out." Jake was visibly shaken, while Finn had lost most of the color in his face.

"You ready to go Finn?" asked Jake with a nervous laugh.

"Yes… Yes I am."

Finn and Jake hastily made their way out of Giacamo's shop and out into the main alley. The road was noticeably more crowded as they headed towards the exit. Dark cloaks were trending with this crowd, the hoods providing a shadow where the owners face should be. Occasionally one would turn and stare at our heroes watching them as they passed by. They were almost to the exit when Finn suddenly stopped. Jake looked back at his brother and saw him staring at something in one of the shops. He leaned down and whispered into his ear.

"Fiiiiinn, this really isn't the time man. We gotta go now!" Finn couldn't hear him though, his attention was focused solely on a small object hanging from the ceiling. Among the dried herbs and dangling bottles hung a small stuffed animal, it was in rough condition and looked like it had been patched multiple times. Finn had seen it before, but where? It was on the tip of his tongue, like some distant..MEMORY! It struck him like a bolt of lightning; it was Marceline's old toy. Hambo, she called it. He knew what had to be done.

"Hey, hey witch lady!" The dirty looking women in question turned to him. "What!"

"I want to buy that stuffed animal." Said Finn as he pointed to Hambo. The old witch shook her head slowly.

"That's a very powerful item sonny, the deep emotional attachment it has can make a spell ridiculously powerful. I could only give that up for something else that's deeply valuable, so personal you couldn't imagine having to lose it, something so dear that.." She was cut off as Finn slammed down a massive bag of gems onto the table, letting some spill out for show. "SOLDNOREFUNDSBYE!" The witch snatched the bag and threw a powder bomb on the ground enveloping her stand in grey smoke. When it cleared she was simply gone, and in Finn's hands was Hambo. Jake was shaking Finn's shoulder, dude we got to leave now! They're looking at us.."

Finn looked at his surroundings noticing the many hooded figures that had turned to stare at him. Red eyes glowed under the cowls and the glint of brilliant white teeth could be seen in the moonlight. He made to head towards the gate when a long leather clad arm grabbed him and spun him around. The clawed hand dug into his shoulder, slicing through the skin and leaving deep cuts in the flesh. Finn was pulled forced face to face with near featureless mask of bone. Only a long line of teeth shaped into a sinister smile stared back at him. Just as the masked creature pulled back its sharpened hand a massive, yellow fist slammed into it. The creature was launched into the air and over the sea of tents before landing in the distance with a crash.

Finn looked over to see his brother punching the oncoming group with various levels of success. The moment one would go down two more took its place and would surge forward. He dearly wished that he hadn't left his sword at home. Looking around, Finn noticed one enemy that stood out from the rest.

Nearly twice as tall as the others, its eyes glowed like twin embers in the dark and smoke could be seen billowing out of its hood. In a fluid motion, it pulled its veil back and revealed a heavily bandaged face. Finn's breath caught in his chest as he once again came face to face with Scorcher.

"Oh glob." Said Finn as he watched the burning killer conjure up a fireball. It started small, but began to grow larger as it swirled in on itself.

"Jake! We got to go, NOW!" The burning projectile had tripled in size as Scorcher raised it over his head, readying his attack to burn everyone and everything in his path. Finn looked toward his brother, desperately hoping he had a plan to get away, but Jake was falling. He stretched and dodged as many of the incoming spells and physical attacks as he could, but the sheer number was starting to overwhelm him. Claws raked at his fur, magic missiles singed wherever they touched and the onslaught of attacks only increased with each successful hit. A stray fist connected with his head causing him to fall into the writhing mob.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" Yelled Finn as he desperately tried to fight to his brother's side. He looked back at the now tent sized fireball above Scorcher. The fire moved with purpose, occasionally letting off gouts of flame like a miniature sun. The bandaged hit man laughed maniacally through his wrappings as he threw the burning monstrosity towards Finn, focused solely on ending the human boy's life. Time slowed down as Finn watched the superheated meteor incinerate everything in its path. The cloaked figures before him were set ablaze before falling to the ground as ash. He watched as the fire consumed all with an unrelenting hunger. His legs gave out beneath him as he stared death in the eye.

"Flame Princess. I'm sorry."

* * *

**Check it out, I did that cliffhanger thing. **


	6. Chapter 6 Not So Sweet Memories

**Soooooo...How have you beeen? Ive been a bit... busy... lately. I have my reasons, work, school, assassination attempts. Yeah, its been pretty entertaining lately. BUT! Now I'm back, and thats all that matters. Thanks to my new 4 hr of sleep a day schedule, I have so much more time to write, draw, appreciate art, and keep watch on my surroundings. YOU'LL NEVER GET ME! But seriously, someone did try to kill me. I'm just joking to deal with the MONUMENTAL STRESS. But I'm OK now, and Ive got a shit ton of ideas! So heres the next chapter. Its the one you guys have been waiting for. Can you feel the excitement? The hype from seeing a new chapter of one of your favorite stories? Mmmm, tastes so good... But your still going to hate me. Now review! I feed off of them, growing stronger and more inspired as they come to me! FEEED MEEEE!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own AT characters. If my man on the inside succeeds with operation Coffee Death... I will...  
**

* * *

Click, clack, click, clack. The sound of heels hitting solid, caramel flooring echoed throughout the halls as their owner made her way deeper into the castle. She passed the many portraits of her predecessors, staring forlornly down at her as she traveled toward her destination. The pink royal stopped at the final painting, slowly turning her eyes from the floor to meet those painted into the tapestry. A candy woman in her twenties smiled down at her, face filled with warmth but with an underlying sadness behind her eyes. Like the young lady in front of her, she was a bubblegum being, the two could have been twins with only their hair as a differing factor. Where the princess's was a solid piece of gum, the woman in the painting had her locks put into individual strands that flowed around her shoulders.

"Mother.." whispered Princess Bubblegum. It bounced off the walls, surrounding the young matriarch with an echo of saddening voices. Her shoulders began to shake, and slowly her legs gave way leaving her on her knees staring up at the smiling picture.

_'Why... Why can't I control myself when I see her? Why can't I stand on my own two legs in front of her? I cant... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...'_

Her vision began to blur as the tears fought free of their prison, running along her cheeks and falling to the floor. Memories began to resurface of times long past.

_A ten year old Bubblegum ran through the royal gardens, laughing as she jumped over hedges and flowers. She giggled as she looked into the fountain and saw her reflection smiling back at her. Two arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to someone tall, someone warm. She saw her mother's smiling face over her reflections shoulder and let out a laugh of joy. "Momma!" she cried as she tried to wiggle free. The candy queen giggled as she pulled her daughter into a tighter hug. "Gotchya sweetie, and I'm never letting you go..."_

Another memory took the place of the first. 3 years later.

_The small princess wrote in her notebook about her latest discovery, the candy roses that her mother loved had been dying off and she had just found the reason. A type of sugar eating virus was ravaging the sweet plant life. A knock on the door roused her from her studies. "Come in." she said daintily. A round, red and white candy poked his head into the room. "Time for dinner princess, the queen is waiting." She nodded. "Thanks Peppermint, I'll be there in a minute." With a bow the candy butler left and closed the door behind him._

_Bonnibelle took her seat next to her mother who had calmly waited for her daughters arrival. The two ate in peace while little Bonni explained what she had found about the roses. " and it's not actually poison but little germs that are doing it!" she said excitedly. The queen just smiled her dazzling smile. "Really? Well your quite the little scientist." she chuckled as she took a sip of water. A small coughing fit interrupted her mid drink and she quickly coughed into a napkin as was her training. "Mom are you alright?" asked the young girl with a worried expression. Her mother just gave her another reassuring smile. "I'm fine dear, now how about we go see if Peppermint Butler made desert?" The young girls eyes brightened up as she nodded and ran to the royal kitchen while her mother tucked away the crimson stained napkin._

A final image appeared before her.

_17 year old Princess Bubblegum poured over her notes looking for anything she might have missed. A stray formula, a missing number in the equation, anything that could help her. A knock on the door strayed her attention. "GO AWAY! I don't have time right now!" Peppermint Butler pushed the door open and scanned the mess of a lab the princess had resided in for the last year and a half. Notes hung everywhere with no visible order, vials and jars filled with liquids and chemicals littered the counter tops, and several trays of food lay untouched by the entrance. "My lady.." said the diminutive Butler. "Not now Peppermint, I have to finish thi.." The candy butler cut her off._

_"She's dying my lady." All words escaped her, all thoughts left her, and she turned to her sorrowful companion. "What?" He took a breath and released it, shakily. "The queen is dying, Dr. Princess herself said so." A bottle flew across the room and shattered against the wall._

_"JUST BECAUSE SHE SAYS SO DOESNT MEAN-"_

_"THE QUEEN WANTS YOU BY HER SIDE!" shouted the striped man. "She has requested that you see her immediately." With that Peppermint Butler left the shocked girl to herself._

_Princess Bubblegum slowly opened the door to her mother's room, walked in and quietly closed the it behind her. A vast pink bed sat before her, the curtains hung loosely at its sides. Bonni grabbed a chair and made her way over to the bedside, and looked at her mother's fading image. Her once flowing hair had fallen away in patches, and her skin had lost its healthy pink color, instead replaced by spots of grey, and every breath was followed by a labored wheeze. Bonni felt the hot tears fall down her face as she beheld what her mother had become. She leaned against her mother's side, sobbing into her wilting frame._

_"Bonnibell...Don't cry sweetie.. Mommy's here.." Each sentence was forced, as if she knew they would be her last. "You must go on... for your people... for me.." A coughing fit racked her body. "Mother stop talking! Your hurting yourself!" She tried to go to the door to call the doctor in but the queen grabbed her arm._

_"Noo.. You need to know... You have to stay strong...Marceline will...help you..She's a good girl... Find someone who cares for you..Who keeps you... safe... Find your hero... and be...happy..." The queen let one final breath and was gone._

_"Mother? No. Mom! Cmon mom wake up! Please don't leave me! I need you! Mom! MOOOOM!"_

Reality slid back into focus as Princess Bubblegum wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't worry mother, I won't let anyone have my hero, no matter what it takes..." The pink princess gathered herself up and continued down the hall to her personal chambers.

* * *

The door opened easily to her touch as she glided in, her still red eyes taking in her surroundings. She was in her personal study. It wasn't like her lab or the royal library, but more of a cozy room with wall to wall bookshelves. A fire crackled noisily under the mantle as she made her way to the overstuffed chair in front of it. She sat down with a tired sigh, staring into dancing flames. The tinkling of fine china pulled her attention away from the inferno to her butler. He offered her a cup of tea from the tray which she gladly accepted then stood beside her chair, joining his mistress at staring into the flames.

"You were crying again." said Peppermint. It was a statement, wrapped in sadness.

"Yes." she quietly sipped her steaming drink, never moving her gaze from the fireplace.

"I can have the portrait taken down if it bothers you." he offered.

Bonnibelle shook her head. "No, It's only right that she stays there." The butler bowed at her side.

"As you wish my lady." Silence reigned over the room, only being beaten back by the occasional pop of burning wood.

"How long has it been Peppermint?" her voice was barely a whisper. "How long have I been like this?"

"50 years, give or take." replied Peppermint in a sad voice. She let loose a long breath.

"I'm 68 years old PB, trapped in an 18 year old body. I've seen plenty in my life time. Magic, war, peace. Every day I learned more and more... But still I was missing something." She stared into her cup, swirling its liquid contents. "And then he came around. Saving anyone and everyone, making Ooo safer for all." She smiled as she thought back on some of his adventures. Peppermint Butler continued to stare into the fire, listening to her highness as she continued. "I knew how he felt about me, but I just couldn't return those feelings. It wouldn't have been right. I mean.. He's so young and I'm... I'm not." Her hands began to shake and her voice gained the slightest of trembles. "I thought I could just wait until he was older.. That way we could be together on the same level... But I pushed him too far away... I didn't give him the hope he wanted." Her shaking stopped and her voice became a whisper.

"And now... he doesn't want me anymore." Bubblegum grasped the chairs armrest, clenching her hand around its end. "Instead he wants some flame haired, ill tempered, freak!" Each word steadily grew in volume. "HOW COULD HE WANT HER OVER ME?" She threw her teacup into the flames, smashing it against the candy brick behind them. Peppermint Butler made no move to calm her, he only stared forlornly forward.

"It'd be ironic if it wasn't so stupid! I locked her in that lamp years ago trying to prevent the biggest disaster since the Lich's creation and what's he go and do? HE LETS THE BITCH OUT!" She threw herself onto her feet and began pacing. "Of course he has to see the good in her, and of course he has to try and prove that she's not evil. Why can't he just see that she is to violent to be controlled?" She knew the answer even before the question was said aloud. "Because he's too good...Be-because he's... a hero..." Emotionally spent, the candy princess sat back down in her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. "He's supposed to be my hero.."

Peppermint Butler was about to comfort his mistress when an abrupt tingle traveled up his spine. He looked into the dark corner of the room and nodded when he saw the two glowing eyes looking back. They blinked once and slid down the wall and onto the floor, moving as an inky puddle to the candy man's feet. As it connected it returned to its original form, a shadow of the small man, wavering in the light of the flames. He smiled as new information and memories flashed before his eyes, and he turned to his now quiet charge with the fresh news.

"My lady, my shadow has returned, and he's brought information." She nodded while remaining silent, giving him the go ahead to continue. "Apparently the boys are hoping to rely on some kind of magic to remedy their, ahem, situation. It seems they went to the wizard's festival looking for some means of sorcery for Finn." Princess Bubblegum took in everything, planning as she listened.

"They'll be wanting something to change Finn, not to protect him." She said as she stared once more into the flames."He's going to try and prove that she's special enough that someone would change for her, and that she's fine the way she is." She started chewing on her thumbnail. "Anything else?"

"Yes maam, they mentioned a few names. Choose Goose, the magical bard, The Magic Man, and the Ice King. Oh, and Miss Marceline." Bubblegum's eyes went wide at the mention of the last name.

"Marceline? What did they say about Marceline?" Her body tensed while waiting for the reply.

"They believed that due to her age, Marceline may be able to help them with their search. They had planned on visiting her tonight after the festival." Bubblegum began mumbling to herself. "She doesn't feel... no she couldn't... but she is a vampire...hmm... just to be sure.. Peppermint!" The well dressed butler snapped to attention. "Maam?"

"Send your shadow back out to follow the boys. I want to know what they ask Marceline and how she plans to help them."

"Of course your highness. Anything else?" She stood up and moved towards the nearest bookshelf pulling out a large, leather bound tome. "Yes." She said as she set down the literature on a nearby table. "Please bring my dinner to the study, I have some reading to do." With a final bow he left the princess to her reading, having only enough time to see the book title._ Spells and Artifacts of Power Volume 1 of 5._


	7. Chapter 7 Blood and Berries

**Heeeeeeeeey guuuuuuuuuyyysss. Been a while I know, but heres a chapter for y'all! Getting sick of this college thing, seriously thinking about stopping after my associates. Its just reaching a point where its stupid. No time, tons of work that is ultimately pointless to my major, you know, broken system. Bah, whatevs though. About this chapter, it was wrote over a long period of time, so if it seems out of place thats why. Normally I write for 5 hrs at a time and bam, chapter, but with this I just havent had much time. Its funny, back when I just read stories I always wondered how my favorite authors could just leave their audience hanging, now I know its not laziness, its just losing time to do anything. Pretty incredible really. So enjoy the writing, as always please review for me. I like knowing if I did something wrong and what I could do to fix it. Oh, and I should mention that Finn is 16 going on 17 in this universe. I dont like the idea of playing with a child's love life so Ima make him older. Same goes to Flame princess whenever she shows up. Now, in the words of my grandfather, ALA CUISINE! **

**Disclaimer: Yeah, dont own it, but man I wish I had a piece of cake right now.  
**

* * *

Finn waited for his death, eyes closed, kneeling on the ground. He waited for the moment of pure agony he knew was coming. His skin would blister and peel away, his hair would catch flame and disintegrate, and in moments he'd be nothing but dust in the wind. He thought of Flame Princess and all the things he'd never get to do with her. Walking through the forest, slaying monsters... maybe even kissing... all of that didn't matter now though, it was too late for him...

It was odd, Finn didn't think he'd have enough time to ponder all these details. That fireball was moving pretty fast actually, and he wasn't the quickest thinker in the world. Maybe it's just one of those life flashing before your eyes moments that he heard about. Wouldn't that bring up his past though? Maybe he...

"You going to sit there all day boy?" A gruff voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Finn slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. No longer was he in the crowded alley of the wizard festival, but on top of the small hill that overlooked it. A plume of smoke could be seen coming from the dark section, swirling up into the night air.

"Wuh? How did we get back here?" he asked aloud.

"Teleporting spell." replied the gruff voice. Finn turned to see a familiar merchant's face behind him.

"Giacamo! What happened?" The old wizard pulled out his pipe and lit up with a conjured flame.

"Well, you two didn't get out of there near fast enough." He took a couple puffs from his pipe. "I heard some wrackit and came out to find you two chest deep in trouble. After Jake went down I decided to step in. You're lucky ya know, that hothead almost destroyed you, heck he took out about five others to get to ya. You two got a history?" Finn fell back against the grass letting out a long, shaky breath.

"Yeah, that was Scorcher. He's a pro hitman the Ice King accidentally sent after us. He's ridiculously strong and he almost got me and Jake but... OH GLOB JAKE!" He bolted upright looking around for his brother.

"Easy lad, he's alright. I put him over there under that tree, he took a good beating but it's nothing serious." Finn crawled over to his adopted brother and tried shaking him awake. "Jake, bro, wake up. We're ok man! We're ok!" Jake groaned and fluttered his eyes. "Finn? Is that you?"

"Yeah bro, its me. You all good?"

"Yeah, but those guys really messed up my bread and butter, it feels like I fell out of a tree and used my face to cushion the fall. Ow! I think one of them kicked me in the Jake Department.." He tried to move his legs but immediately froze up and fell on his side. His voice came out high pitched. "Yup, delayed reaction..Oooooooooowwwww." Finn chuckled and leaned back against the tree next to his brother. "Im just glad we made it out, thanks Giacamo." The old wizard nodded as he emptied out his ashes."Sure, just return the favor by not mentioning me to Marceline okay? Even if she's your friend I don't need her popping up anytime soon." With a pop, Giacamo was gone, leaving the two heroes to recover from their near death experience.

Jake's pain had finally subsided and he sat up with his back against the tree. "Scorcher knows we're alive now."

"Yeah."

"You know he's going to come after us right?"

"Yup."

"Think we can take him?" Finn looked over and smiled at the dog.

"Totally, we're way better than we were last time." Jake smiled back and held out a fist.

"Heck yeah playah! We'll turn him into our own personal oven." The two bro fisted and leaned back against the trunk, taking a well deserved rest after their hectic day.

* * *

Scorcher walked across the blast zone of his attack, searching for the verification he needed to continue. Piles of ash littered the ground, some with chunks of gold melted to the bones from the intense heat, others still smoldering, and giving off an slight glow. He finally reached where his prey had knelt only moments ago. There was nothing. Not bone, nor ash, trinket or weapon. Not even a charred shadow of where the body should have been.

He looked around, searching for his canine companion. Surely some pieces of his body still existed, he wasnt even near the blast radius. The piles of cloaked figures stirred and groaned, each of them getting up and checking to see if they had been robbed after their knockout. Scorcher looked at the ground, but once again there was no trace of the creature he wanted. His eyes burned furiously, not once but twice now they had escaped him! A blight on his record. With a growl he reached down and pried one of the molten pieces of gold from the ground and shoved it in his bag. As he turned to leave a hand grabbed a hold of his shoulder and spun him around.

"You killed my brother you psycho! What the glob is wrong with you?! I'm not letting you get away wit..." The scarred elf was cut off as Scorcher palmed his face and lifted him off the ground. His large hand began squeezing his head. "They got away..." he rasped as he looked at the now terrified elf. With a mere thought, Scorcher covered his arm in flames that reached blast furnace temperatures. The stream of fire became a solid column the enveloped the poor victim's head, incinerating everything from the shoulders up. There was a scream, but only for a moment.

He dropped the now headless corpse and walked on, heading deeper into the dark magic section. The crowd parted around him as he made his way into the dark. Unknown to Scorcher a pair of ghostly, green eyes watched him, reviewing everything they had just seen...

* * *

Finn was the first to wake from his nap. He stretched his arms and gave a small wince from the sharp pain jolting through his shoulder. In all the relief he had forgotten about his injury. The shirt had soaked up most of his blood and had caked onto the wound like an oversized scab. He tried to peel it away but yelped from the sting. _It'll be alright until I get to Marcy's place._ He thought to himself. Looking around he noticed that it was still night time, probably two or three in the morning.

Finn gave Jake a quick nudge. "Jake, time to go man."

"No Lady, we already did it in the kitchen, I wanna try the stairs..."

"Wha? Jake it's Finn! Wake. UP!" Finn grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and delivered a brutal, wake up backhand.

'WHAAA! I'm up, I'm up!" He rubbed his face and stared at the human boy accusingly. "You didn't have to hit me so hard man, could have just shook me." Finn shrugged.

"I did, but you just started talking about Lady. What did you guys do in the kitchen?" Jake's face blanked. "Uhh, played my viola, yeah, I played for her in the kitchen. She likes to uh, hear music when she cooks."

"Oh... neat." Jake let out a sigh of relief. He looked over and noticed the large, red splotch on Finn's shoulder. "Dude! What happened to your shoulder?!" Finn looked down at it casually. "That creepy mask guy cut me when he grabbed my shoulder. It's all good now, the bleeding stopped and my shirts like a big bandage. I'll clean it up once we get to Marceline's." He hauled himself to his feet, and started stretching out his legs for the trip ahead, he wobbled a little bit but didn't think anything of it. Jake did a hand stand and shifted his arms and legs positions so that he was standing straight again. With a quick body rotation his butt and face traded places. "Alright man, let's go get that orb!" And with that the two adventurers began walking towards Marceline's cave, oblivious to the yellow eyed shadow that watched them from the trees.

* * *

A raven haired teen floated around her living room, plucking the strings on a massive axe turned bass. She played the crimson instrument with a precision that came from years of practice. It returned her affection by letting out a relaxed rhythm that shook the air in her chest. She took a deep breath after playing a few notes and began to sing.

_"With skin as white as moonlight and shadow for a soul_

_Some say I was a monster from the deepest, darkest hole_

_Though my daddy says he loves me it's not the same as you_

_You see the light within me and make it shine anew_

_Soooo tell me why I cant stop this feeling_

_It's all locked inside and I really feel like screaming_

_Wont you stay by my side through the days and through the nights?_

_Telling me it's alright because your here and in my sight_

_It hurts me to see you go, to always wonder and never know_

_But I remember who you are, a hero of the close and of the far_

_Maybe someday I'll be able to ask you_

_Would you take me with you?_

_Soooo tell me why I cant stop this feeling_

_It's all locked inside and I really feel like screaming_

_Wont you stay by my side through the days and through the nights?_

_Telling me it's alright because your here and in my sight_

_And now the song has to end, as for me I'll be just a friend_

_Maybe I'll be forgiven for my sin_

_If only Id have you for myself, my..."_

The final line hung in the air, missing the final word she longed to say. Marceline let out a long sigh as she finished her song. Floating over to the recording box, she quickly hit the stop button and popped out the tape. "Man. I gotta quit singing about this junk, its putting me down." She threw the tape in the corner with a few others, all marked "Feels" and made her way to the kitchen. She reached the fridge as a familiar smell wafted around her. She wondered what it was, but couldn't put her finger on it. It was sweet, but not overly so with just the barest hint metal. She wiped her arm on her sleeve finally noticing the drool dripping from her mouth. "Ewww, what the nuts?" Marceline quickly searched through the fridge but couldn't find anything with that savory smell. Then it hit her like a blast from the past, that was the smell of blood, human blood.

She flew to the front window in time to see Jake and Finn walking through the entrance to her cave. What alarmed her was the massive amount of red on Finn's body, it covered him from shoulder to hip but his walking had gotten unbalanced, but he still wore the same dopey grin. She had seen enough anemia to know the symptoms. Concern washed over her, pushing away the hunger. Marceline floated over to the door and threw herself outside towards the misfit brothers.

"Finn! What the stuff man?! What happened to you?

Finn just stared at her for a minute before remembering his wound. "Oh! This? Its nothing, just a scratch. Um.. Can we come in? I really need to talk to you." Having a blood soaked human in her house was NOT a good idea, she could already taste the tang of it in the air, but she couldnt just turn him away, he needed medical attention. He was already a few shades paler.

"Fine, but we need to fix you up first, then we"ll talk." She stared at his wound as she talked, barely restraining herself from licking her lips. Finn tried to brush it off, oblivious to Marceline's inner fight.

"This? Nah, its just a scratch." he wobbled a bit on his feet. Jake crossed his arms.

"I dont know dude, I think she's right. Your looking a little pale for some reason... "

"Its anemia you weenie, you've lost to much blood. Look your already starting to shake." Finn held up his hand and watched it for a moment, sure enough there was a constant trembling running through it. "Wow, that's not good." he said as he watched his own hand with fascination. Marceline had stuffed both of her hands deep into her hoodie to hide her own wringing hand movements. "Alright adventure boy, get inside. I've got a med kit in the kitchen and we're gonna need to stitch that up." Finn wobbled on his feet a bit more before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds good." Finn and Jake made their way inside the little pink house while Marceline lingered behind. She was taking deep breaths of air and trying to calm herself. _Get it together Marceline, he's your friend, not food..._ "Hey Marcy where's the kit at?" came Jake's muffled voice. She quickly shook her head. "It's in the kitchen!" she yelled back.

She floated into the living room and passed Finn who was sitting on the couch staring at the ceiling. "Finn?" she asked. "You feelin okay?" Finn looked over at her and gave her a smile. "Yeah, just a little tired is all. Hey, do you have a small glass bottle I can use?"

The request caught her off guard. "Wha? What do you need a bottle for?"

"It's a...(Yawn) surprise..."

"Uh, okay, yeah I got one." Marceline floated into the kitchen to find Jake searching through the cabinets. "Oh good, where did you say the box was?" She shook her head and pulled a white box off the wall next to the fridge. "Right here, the one that says emergency on it! Yeesh, cmon Jake." The canine rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Yeah I was gonna check there next..."

"Sure you were."

Jake to the box back to the living room and helped Finn to his feet. "Cmon buddy, we're gonna do this in the bathroom. Keep it clean ya know? You coming Marcy?" The vampire shook her head. "May not be the best idea to have a vampire around a bleeding human, I think I'll chill out here. Oh, and here's your bottle Finn." "Jake went wide eyed for a moment. "Yeah, you got a point.." The two headed into the bathroom and closed the door. Marceline went back to the kitchen and tried to keep her mind of the bloody aroma wafting through her home. She heard Jake talking loud enough to be heard through the door. "Alright bro, first thing I gotta do is rip the shirt off. This is gonna hurt, you ready? I'll do it on three... THREE!" Finn's yell bounced off the walls of Marceline's home and made its way out into the cavern, sending a young man's scream echoing into the abyss. The pale teen grimaced as she heard the yell of pain, happy that such things don't hurt her anymore. It was quiet for a while, with only minor "Ows" piercing the silence, no doubt Jake had started sewing him up. Finally, after a good 30 minutes the two walked out of the bathroom. Finn was now much paler than he had been previously and Jake acted as a crutch to help his brother to the couch. His shirt lay abandoned in the bathroom, leaving his bare chest open to the air. A line of clean, black stitching ran from the base to the back of his shoulder.

Marceline brought over a bowel of strawberries and a glass of water and set it on the table before him. "Here, you need to eat and drink something to refill. You lost allot of blood there weenie." Finn chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not feeling so hot. Here Marcy, I got this for you though..." He lifted a shaking arm to Marceline. In his hand was the bottle she gave him, filled nearly three quarters full of red liquid. Speechless, Marceline took the bottle from him. "I figured it'd be better than making a big mess and wasting it all..." His words began to slur a little. "And you being a vampire and all, I thought you'd like it.."

"Finn..." was all Marceline could say. She turned to Jake who had watched the whole thing. "You shouldn't have let him do this!" Jake raised his hands defensively. 'Whoa, whoa, I told him not to but he said you deserved something special, and he was gonna lose it anyway! So after I ripped the shirt off he started bleeding bad again and I stitched him up as fast as I could. That's what he caught while I was fixin him!" Marceline's face blanked. She deserved something special? Why? What had she done? She looked at the young man smiling at her from the couch. "Why Finn?" She asked him, still awestruck. Finn gave a dopey shrug. "Because you mean allot to me Marcy, and I figured you'd like it."She smiled at him and floated into the kitchen. Quickly, she found a cap for the bottle and put it in the fridge. All her hunger was forgotten, pushed away by the notion of someone caring for her so deeply. She came back in time to see Finn shakily reach for a strawberry, only to drop it before it got to his mouth. Jake had fallen asleep against the side of the couch, kicking at something in a dream.

"Finn..." she said softly. "You're such a weenie." She floated over and sat on the couch beside him, with a calming hand she pulled him down so his head rested in her lap. A faint blush ran across Finn's features. "Marceline... What are you-" She put a finger to his lips and gave him a small "Shhh." She then picked up the bowel of strawberries and plucked one from its center. Bringing it to her pearly fangs she quickly sucked the color from it before bringing down to Finn's mouth. He opened up and bit into it, savoring the sweet taste of the now grey fruit. This continued until the bowel had emptied. Now that he had food in his stomach, his eyes grew heavy as his body tried to shut down for repairs.

With a fluid movement, Marceline pulled off the white hat that Finn was so fond of. His untamed hair fell around her lap, surrounding his face in a golden halo. She stroked his hair fondly, humming a melody as she did. It quickly turned into a lullaby, pushing Finn to the brink of slumber.

"La daaaa diya da da

Sleep now my friend

Leave your wounds to mend

And joooourney off, to dreeeeaaaaamlaand

La daaa diya da da

Forget all your fears

Your pain and your tears

And joooourney off, to dreeeeaaaaamlaand"

Marceline began to hum, the vibrations from her body flowing into Finn. He had never felt so... content, so safe... He looked up at her once more, taking in her features. Her flawless skin, pale and untouched by the sun, he sparkling eyes, shining with moisture, and her lips, beautiful and full. Then his eyes closed, no longer able to fight his body's will. Marceline stopped her song shortly after, and looked down at the hero in her lap. Her hero, her dream. Without a second though she bent down and brushed his lips with her own, taking only the smallest kiss from her crush. "Good night Finn... I love you..."


	8. Chapter 8 This Girl Is On Fire!

**Sup party people? Yeah, how bout that, a new chapter! Sorry for the huge delay, there was school, then there was work, then there was con, oh god the con... Yeah I got pretty busy, but it slowed down long enough that I could get another chapter out. I figured I would launch it before the tidal wave of Fionna/Marshall Lee madness comin in. Its like a fanfiction, of a fanfiction in a cartoon. You ever think about that? Damn, now if they would give Ice Queen her lonely memoirs we could go DEEPER! (Heavy Bass) Bah, whatevs. This is mostly just a filler chapter. Some of you may have wondered what happened to flame princess, it explains while adding only a touch of sadness. My heart wasnt really in it. (Dont hit me..) **

**So enjoy this little snack, if all goes well I should have another, better chapter up within a week. Or I could trip and fall into a freak pothole and become a prisoner of the Locust queen. That would be unfortunate. Read, and review. Tell me my flaws, because I cant find you through the internet to make you eat your words! And seriously, I like hearing from you guys. Again I dont own Adventure Time, one day I hope to though, one day soon. **

**Oh, and one last note. I havent watched much of the new episodes, kinda stoped at the Marceline/ Ice king one (Soooo good.) So Im just going to keep going with my universe and only adding the occasional spice from the episodes. Enjoy!**

* * *

Magma bubbled and hissed in vast pools, giving off a harsh and vibrant light. The land itself cracked and belched flames into the air, scorching the area around it with a dry, blistering heat. Life in the Fire Kingdom is a harsh thing that few can survive in. Luckily, Flame Princess was one of the few things that could survive, even thrive in this barren environment. After her emotional tantrum at the goblin village, she had quickly retreated back to the Fire Kingdom. Not back to the castle though, no, she was never going back to her lamp. Back to her prison. Instead she had found a small cave on the outskirts of the kingdom bordering the grasslands. After some high temperature redecoration, she found that she had a nice place to call her own.

The fire elemental laid in her bed of fire grass, staring intensely at the ceiling of her dwelling. It had been several days since her run in with Prince Finn, several long, thoughtful days. Finn the human. Human, a strange species that seems perfectly in sync with water. How could anything be close to such a dangerous substance? It didn't make sense. Then to try for the heart of a fire elemental? Frown lines appeared on her forehead, they often did when she thought about the current subject. It simply defies logic but... but still... Finn had wanted her...Her, the princess branded a monster and locked away, her, the polar opposite to his species, her, the one who could burn him to ash with a very thought. What kind of creature would want that?

Then there were these feelings that came with him. The radiant, uncontrolled joy of being wanted by a prince. There was nothing better than being released from her lamp and told that someone wanted to be with her. You couldn't imagine, after years of isolation, years of loneliness, years of torture, what it was like to see that glimmer of hope. In truth she had nearly broken down in front of the court. Then came the rage of rejection. A pure, burning hatred had enveloped her after his refusal, so much so that she had planned on taking his life for her revenge. Had she not been thwarted it may have just happened. And finally, there was the bitter confusion that plagued her now. First he had wanted her, then he didn't, then he did again? What reasoning could he have for such madness? What reason would anyone have for playing with a lonely girl's heart?

Flame princess sat up on the edge of her bed and looked down at her softly glowing feet as they gently touched the cool, rock surface. She wanted to see him again, a part of her yearned for him, but another was scared. Scared of hurting the person that showed the first sign of caring about her well being. Her chest began to ache as she continued to think about him. She knew what would come next. The young fire elemental covered her face, trying in vain to fight off the emotions inside, but it was no use. A solitary tear, glowing orange in the dim cave light, slipped through her fingers and plummeted to the floor. The first had broken the seal, and the rest came in a river of misery. The weeping princess pulled her knees up to her face, trying in vain to hide her emotions from the world as the shimmering droplets of sadness continued their flow. Had someone stood at the cave entrance, they would have heard the broken sobs of the Fire Kingdom princess along with a few whispered words. "Please, make them stop. Just make the tears stop..."

As it happened, someone did hear her pleas. A small flambit was leaning back against the outside of the entrance, listening to the sadness within. He sighed into the air. "Jeeze, yous guys really messed up the princess." said the little fireball with a thick Bronx accent. He stared off into the distance for a moment, contemplating the sanity of his next few actions. "There's no other ways I spose." The small elemental took a deep breath and walked into the cave.

He tip toed along, barely making a sound as he made his way back to the princess. Before long he could see her lying in bed, face buried in her arms. He mustered up the courage to talk.

"Uh... He..hello?" said the little flame creature.

Flame princess stopped crying immediately, her body tensed up as she assessed the situation.

""Are.. are you okay?" Flambo took a step forward, but as he did Flame Princess made her move.

In an instant she had turned herself into a living flame, moved across the room, and solidified behind Flambo, effectively cutting him off from the exit. A white hot fireball churned in her hand.

"Who are you? What do you want from me? Did my dad send you? DID HE?" Flame princess was wild eyed, the flaming sphere in her hand grew three times as large. Flambo began backing away slowly, trying to get a little distance from the emotional princess.

"I..i..i..juju..just .wanted..." Flambo stuttered as he moved.

"SPIT IT OUT!" Flame princess raised her attack into the air, readying the destructive blow to come.

"I WAS JUST KEEPING TABS ON YAS FOR FINN! OHGLOBPLEASEODN'TKILLME!" The flambit yelled as he cowered against the back wall. The princess stopped dead in her tracks.

"Finn? As in Prince Finn?" The little flame imp nodded, still in a cowering position.

"Yah, he's been all upset about yous guys having to be apart so I figured I'd watch over ya for im."

Flame princess extinguished her fireball and looked at the floor in thought. _Finn was upset? But..why? _She looked over at Flambo who had both eyes on the ground, wringing his tiny flame hands.

"So you've been spying on me?" Her eyes narrowed as she gave the tiny fire imp an accusing stare.

"Heh, heh. I wouldn't call it spying, just checking in on yas for Finn's sake." Flame princess clenched her fists.

"Well dont! I can take care of myself. I don't need a prince that can't even make up his mind to worry about me!" She huffed and sat down on her bed, back turned towards Flambo.

He scratched his head in confusion. "Whatchya mean can't make up his mind? That guys crazy about ya." It was Flame Princess's turn to be confused. She faced him and gave him an odd look.

"Prince Finn came into MY kingdom, asked for a relationship with ME then went on to say that it wouldn't work! After that her doused me, stalked me through the grasslands, and told me he likes me after all?!" Her voice was growing steadily as she summarized the events that led her here.

Flambo's eyes went wide as he realized what happened. "Wait, so he didn't tell yas about what actually happened at the castle?" Flame Princess just cocked her head, slowly shaking it side to side.

"Okay, I think I can clear this up a bit..."

* * *

A little while later...

"So, when he said he liked me in the clearing... He meant it?" Asked Flame Princess as she leaned her back against the wall.

"Yup." Said Flambo from the beside her. "That guy's really into ya. I've heard through the grapevine that he's looking for a way for yous twos to be together."

"Flame Princess stared at him, awestruck. Finn, had meant it... Finn really did want her.. She started to smile, to truly and honestly smile. Someone wanted her! There was no better feeling in the world at that moment, and once more tears began to fall down her cheeks. But unlike before, these tears weren't filled with bitterness, anger or sadness. They were tears of joy, each one a testament to her happiness. Flambo looked up at her with eyes filled with worry.

"You okay your highness?"

The royal elemental nodded with a smile, wiping away the shining droplets on her face. "Yeah, Im going to be okay.. I really am... You said your name was Flambo right?"

"Sure is ma'am." In a surprise act she picked the small fire imp up and pulled him close to her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Flambo tensed at first, surprised that such a level of affection could come from the princess of the Fire Kingdom, but then he relaxed and returned the gesture, patting her on the back as he did so.

"Finn's one lucky guy, let me tell yas."

* * *

The two fire beings stood at the mouth of the cave, reviewing the day's events.

"So now that we got all that straightened out I say you still keep to your low profile thing you got going on here. This way I can tell Finn where yous is at, and he can come see yous all easy like." Flame princess was taken aback by the idea.

"But shouldn't I go see him and tell him we can be together? I mean, after the way I left him..." She looked down remembering the scene.

"I see where yous is coming from, but I dont think you'll be able to find im. Like I said before, he's out there somewhere looking for a way to be with yous, he aint gonna be home for a while." Flame princess looked crestfallen, but nodded in agreement.

"Look here princess, I'll go search around for a while then report back if I find im. That way you can chill here all safe like and we can find your guy. Sound good?" FP thought for a while but eventually agreed.

"Yeah, it makes sense. Just promise you'll come back alright?" Even though she just met him, Flame princess liked talking to Flambo. It was nice to have a friend in the wilderness.

"Heh, no worries. Flambo never turns down time with a pretty dame."

The two said their goodbyes as Flambo walked away towards the grasslands and Flame princess went back inside her home with small smile still on her face. From a rocky overlook several feet above the cave, two lifeless, green eyes took in everything that had just happened. A deep, yet raspy voice slithered through the air. "The pieces are falling into place..."


	9. Chapter 9 Choices, Choices

**Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please... Hi. How you all doing? Ive been great, thank you for asking. Busy is the only way to describe me of late. Fencing lessons, karate lessons, school, work, it seriously doesn't end. I finally found some time to sit down and write though, because I love you guys, like a snake loves sun. I bask in your glow... SO! Lets get down to it, you know the routine, read it, review it, poke it with a slightly sharpened stick. Only slightly sharpened! Now about this chapter, I kind of had this idea that I wanted to do for a while now, and this chapter let me put it out there. If you want to feel awesome, go look up Ellie Goulding's song "Hanging On" and put it on repeat and listen to it as you read. I got some feels from that combo, especially if you manage to time it just right. Again, PLEASE review and send me your thoughts. Truth be told my motivation to write has been getting punched in the testicles by my schedule, repeatedly... Hearing you people's words of encouragement and ideas help put the spark back into my ability!**

**I don't own Adventure Time, if I did Id be enjoying a nice plate of pudding on my private island, on my private yacht parked in my private island's private grotto. Surrounded by women. Dressed as Marceline...And Flame Princess...In bikinis... Yeah... BUT SHE'D BE 20 YEAR OLD FLAME PRINCESS! You sicko's.**

* * *

Finn's eyes cracked open, giving him a blurry view of the cottage ceiling. Slowly he adjusted to the light, letting the world around him come into focus. He was laying on the couch in Marceline's living room, the only sound came from the clock on the wall. A steady tick, tick, tick that carried through the air. Finn let out a grunt as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, he winced as the movement stretched the muscle around his wound. _'Aww man, what happened?' _He thought as he rubbed his head. The world was still out of focus, everything seemed blurred.

"Finn..." A voice called out, barely a whisper but clear as a bell.

"Wha?... Who's there?... Helloooo?" The young hero called out from his seat. Silence answered back. He pulled off his hat and ran his finger through his golden locks. "I'm just hearing things I guess... But where is everyone?" He pushed himself up off of the couch with a grunt, and headed towards the kitchen. His effort was for naught, the kitchen too was deserted The same followed for the upstairs and, after a knocking first, the bathroom. He was alone.

"Dang, I was sure SOMEBODY was going to be around..." He turned back to the living room planning on going back to sleep, when it came again.

"Finn..." He heard it for sure this time, a voice, almost pleading, and definitely feminine. He turned quickly, listening for any indication of the voices direction.

"Hey! Where are you? Can you hear me?" He waited, hardly daring to breathe in case he missed the voice.

"Finn... Please..." He heard it now, it was faint, almost like it was... Outside!

"Hang on, I'm coming!" Without hesitation the young human ran towards the door and ripped it open. His jaw dropped in shock as he walked out onto the grassy soil. The dark, rocky cave that should have greeted him was replaced by a mist covered graveyard. Tombstones were neatly arranged in rows, some small with descriptions carved into their faces, others stood higher than Finn reflecting the importance of the ones buried beneath. A cool drop fell on the boy's face, and as he looked up into the churning gray sky, more followed in the wake of the first. Soon it was a steady drizzle, and in moments he was soaked. Finn turned towards the door he walked through but discovered it to be gone, it was as if he walked into the dead center of the cemetery. He was just about to yell when he heard a soft sound. A sound filled with sorrow and depression. Someone, somewhere in the mist, was crying.

"Hey! Can you hear me!?" he yelled into the silent resting grounds. Again there was no reply, just the patter of rain and the miserable sobs that joined with it. Finn screwed his eyes shut, honing in on the sadness as best he could. He opened his eyes, turned to his right, and without any hesitation, began walking into the swirling fog.

The sobs and whimpers grew steadily louder as he walked towards their source. Tombstone after tombstone passed him by as he continued forward, their engraved words leaving no interest in the hero. All that mattered was that someone needed help. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking in the rain, Finn began to see an outline of something in the distance. He squinted through the rain, yes, he could see it now, it was a silhouette of someone kneeling at a memorial. He started running through the lanes of graves, getting closer and closer to the figure. The closer he got, the more he could make out. It was thin, with dark clothing, a striped shirt and ripped up pair of pants along with long, black hair that cascaded down its back... wait.. he knew that figure.. It was...Marceline?

His steady pace began to slow, and soon he found himself walking up behind the weeping girl. He stood there in the rain, his wet, shining hair stuck in strands across his face. It was Marceline, there was no doubting that. Her shoulders sagged, shaking with each breath, and both hands cupped her face trying to stem the flow of tears.

"Marceline... What's wrong?" He said in a hushed voice. Marceline's shoulders tensed as she heard his voice, her face rose from her hands and she let out a shaky breath. Slowly, the vampire queen turned her head towards Finn's feet, her eyes traveled up his body finally coming to rest at his face. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying, and she wore an expression of disbelief, her mouth slightly agape. A thick strand of hair was plastered across her face from the moisture. He wiped the strand off to the side as he smiled down at her.

"Don't cry Marcy, it's going to be okay. I promise..." She blinked once before her face began to tighten up. Her eyes began to tear up once again as she stared into his caring eyes. "Finn.." She said before launching herself at him and burying her face into his chest. Finn staggered back falling on his rear with the sobbing girl clamped firmly around his middle. He blushed heavily as she cried against his shirt, never had he seen her so emotional, and she was certainly never this... physical...

"Uhh... Marceline... Iiii, uh, I mean..." He said as he raised his arms in the air, unsure of what to do with them. She pulled him tighter, hiccupping out words in between her whimpers.

"I.. Never thought.. never thought I... Was going to see you again!" She sniffed as she tried to talk. "Please Finn (hic) don't leave me...I.. I don't want to be alone anymore..." Finn pushed the uncomfortable feelings away, he knew what needed to be done. He wrapped his arms around the crying queen, holding her against him. She tensed for a moment before relaxing entirely. As he stroked the back of her head, Finn could feel the sobs still wracking her body.

"Shhh, it's okay Marceline, I'm here." he said in the most calming voice he could muster. Her shaking began to subside as he held her. "I won't leave you Marcy, I promise..." She pulled away and looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Everyone leaves me Finn, they all leave me... and I... I can't go with them..." She sniffed. "Please stay with me Finn.. I... Don't want to see you..." The tears were starting to push through again. Finn quickly put his finger to her lips and gave her another warming smile. "Marceline. I'll stay with you, and make it so you'll never have to be alone again." A single tear rolled down her cheek and mixed with the falling rain as she looked up at him, and a small smile dawned on her face. Once more she leaned against him, nuzzling into his shirt. "That's why you're a hero Finn... You can save anyone.."

Finn closed his eyes, letting the sound of rain envelope him. It pinged of the surrounding stones and soaked the two beings through their clothes. The drops of liquid crystal began to trace the words of the tombstone at which the Vampire queen knelt."Here lies Finn the Human. Hero to many. Friend to all."

He began to hear it lighten, little by little, and feel the raindrops hitting him less and less. Finally it stopped, and he was surrounded by silence. "See? The rain even stopped... Marceline?" He opened his eyes and was once again shocked at what he saw.

He was kneeling in the center of a demolished city, debris littered the area around him, small spots of it still burning. Not a single building was left standing in the hellish warzone, and of Marceline there was no trace. Finn rose shakily to his feet, wondering what could cause such devastation. He started walking deeper into the destruction, gaining the slightest sense of deja vu as he went. It wasn't until he reached the center that the realization finally hit him. It was the Candy kingdom.

A gumball guardian laid motionless on the ground, its head smashed open and its body twisted and bent. The great castle no longer existed, a rubble filled crater now took its place, small portions of it still ablaze. Finn could only stand at the edge and stare as his brain tried to take it all in. The place where he spent so much time, all the candy people he saved, everything was gone and he couldn't do a thing to save them. His thoughts began to turn against him.

_All those people, all my friends, gone. Was it because I wasn't here? Is it my fault this happened? No.. No it can't be... I always kept them safe... I always helped everyone! Then why... why did this happen?_

A stirring in the crater snapped him back to attention. He watched closely thinking it could be dust in the breeze... There! Under the section of roofing, there was something stirring. Throwing caution to the wind , Finn slid down the side of the of the pit, in moments he was at the bottom running towards the spot he saw motion. He felt a sharp pang in his chest as he made out a clump of pink gum sticking out under the wreckage. He quickly reached the person in distress and knelt down beside them. It was none other than Princess Bubblegum.

"Princess! Princess please speak to me! Are you okay?" Finn did a once over to assess the situation. Bubblegum was trapped under a pile of rubble from the waist down, undoubtedly the weight must have been crushing. The princess replied weakly.

"Finn.. I'm trapped... Please get me out..." He voice was faint, filled with exhaustion.

"Don't worry PB, I'll take care of this!" He quickly reached under the debris covering her back and heaved upwards. The material creaked and cracked under pressure.

"PB..Ha..Ha.. Can you... crawl out?" He panted. The weight was taking its toll on his arms as he tried desperately to hold on. Bubblegum grunted and started pulling herself from the wreckage, inching out from under the crushing rubble. Finally she was free, no sooner pulling had she pulled her feet away than Finn's arms gave out. The pile collapsed in on itself, crushing the spot the candy princess laid only moments before. Finn moved to her side, flipping her over and cradling her head in his lap.

"PB! PB speak to me! Come on Bubblegum..." She coughed and sputtered, her eyes slowly blinking open. "Finn... You came..."

"What happened here? Who did this?" He asked as he looked around at the wreckage.

"I don't know.. We were..cough, cough,...caught off guard..." The princess took a shaky breath. "We didn't stand a chance, and everyone... everyone just died..." Finn's features blanked as he heard those last words. He moved his lips, the word "Everyone" slipping out in barely a whisper.

"Everyone.. Everyone is dead?" His mind flashed through the many faces of his friends. Peppermint Butler, Mister Cupcake, Cinnamon Bun, Lady Rainicorn... All the people he had grown up with, now lost to the void.

"I'm sorry princess..." He whispered. "If I was here, I could have..." Bubblegum cut him off.

"No Finn, it's my fault..."

"What? But you.."

"No. I drove you away... You used to care about me, and you protected me and the kingdom because of that, but... But I pushed you away..." Her eyes glazed over, sparkling tears glinted off the firelight as they began to slide down the side of her face.

"I took you for granted Finn, and that was the biggest mistake I ever made..." She started giggling as she cried, her hiccups and sobs filling the air. "I...I really did like you Finn... Even though I said it couldn't happen I... I secretly wanted it to... But I was scared.." She gulped, still smiling, tears continuing their ceaseless flow. "Imagine that, princess of an entire kingdom scared of being close to someone...Ha, ha...Maybe if I would have let you in, if I said I like you too... Everything would have been okay, and I wouldn't be..."She went into a coughing fit, specks of red decorating her chest. "Stop talking Princess, you're hurt!" Finn told her as he held her tighter. She smiled again, flecks of blood decorating her lips.

"I'm sorry Finn... I'm so sorry... No one... Should treat a hero...like I did..." Princess Bubblegum let out her last breath, closing her eyes as she slipped into eternal slumber. Finn was awestruck, he shook her slightly, trying in vain to rouse her.

"PB... Come on PB, wake up... Please.. Please don't leave me!" He put his forehead against hers, tears began to drop onto her pink features. "You can't just leave! Not like this... Not like this..." He rocked back and forth as he held her, sobbing for the sake of his old crush.

The fires around him began crackling louder, growing and spreading among the rubble. The temperature began to climb, forcing the young human to look up with bloodshot eyes. The world around him had become one of fire and heat. Flames covered everything, crackling and burning the very soil. The young woman in his arms began to lose her color, turning grey in mere moments. Her arms and face began to swirl and distort, and in an instant she burst into a puff of smoke, the swirling vapors snaking through his arms and into the sky. He looked at his now empty arms, they started to shake as his emotions began to stir.

"First Marceline... Now PB... Why? Why is this happening?" The flames around him began to jump and grow, feeding on his feelings.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!" He yelled into the blistering air. The flames around him skyrocketed, turning into great, churning pillars of fire. He began punching the ground in front of him in frustration. "WHY. CANT. I. HELP THEEEEM!" His knuckles impacted the dirt with every word. In moments he had tired himself out, his shoulders slumped in defeat. The maelstrom of flames continued unhindered, surrounding him in ever shifting walls of fire. He could feel the heat on his bare skin, it was nearly painful.

"Finn." A voice, weak and barely a whisper, called out to him from the flames. Even though the temperature was nearly blistering, his blood ran cold. He knew that voice. The wall of flame parted in front of him revealing a path through the inferno. Standing only a short distance away was Flame Princess.

"No... No I won't let you have her..." Finn's resolve resurfaced from seeing the girl he was fighting so hard for. He pulled himself to his feet and bolted through the path. Burning tendrils of fire licked at his arms, singeing skin and clothing alike. He put the pain behind him, all that mattered now was Flame Princess. He ran, and ran, and ran. She looked only yards away, but still he got no closer when he sprinted towards her. Finn tried calling out to her.

"PRINCESS! HOLD ON!" "She turned her head towards the sound of his voice, he doubled his pace as he saw her features, carved into a mask of sadness. Although he couldn't hear her, he watched as her lips formed a word. Finn.

"I WONT LET ANYTHING HURT YOU! I WONT LET YOU GO BACK TO BEING ALONE!" Still he ran towards her, suddenly gaining ground, it was his determination, his heart, that pushed him forward. Flame princess reached out an arm towards him, a smile filled with hope gracing her face. Finn reached out, he was only feet away now. The roaring of the flames around him had disappeared, replaced by silence, the echo of his feet hitting the ground, and his own labored breathing. Flame princess was all that mattered. At once, the two met, their fingers barely brushing each other. And then time slowed to a crawl. Flame Princess's voice seemed to surround him. "I've been waiting for a hero..." She smiled at him in the silence, and he smiled back. Then he noticed her arm.

It began where the two had touched, her glowing, orange skin had faded and lost its color. Grey was moving along her arm, like a virus, it snuffed out her glow and made her skin crack. In moments she was completely grey, and she began to crumble away before his eyes. Her hair fell in a fine dust, her arms in miniature clumps, and cracks spider webbed along her face, chipping off and falling away. Then, it was as if a gust of wind pushed through an ash pile. She left him standing there alone, the last to go was her still smiling face... Words had escaped him. He was about to scream when he suddenly felt a presence looming over him.

A voice, so much deeper than any previously heard surrounded him.

"For every gain there must be sacrifice. This is the rule of the world. You, are no exception."

Finn's eyes snapped open, his body tense and alert. He recognized Marceline's soft features only inches from his own. He had fallen asleep in her lap and she hadn't moved in the slightest. He glimpsed at the wall clock, 2:20 AM. It was all... a dream? No. A nightmare. The final words echoed around his skull as he began to relax once more. _Sacrifice? Sacrifice what though?_ But these thoughts were no match for exhaustion. Slowly his eyelids began to fall, and in moments he asleep once more.

At the mouth of the cave.

A snail, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, turned its back to the cave entrance. It turned to the north west, moving slow and steady towards the Candy Kingdom.


	10. Chapter 10 Button Eyed Tears

Ello, ello, my duckies. Long time no see eh? Well, no read in this case. You'd think summer would give me more time to write, well, you'd be wrong. Work, travel, friends and raves, all of them like time leeches sucking away at my freedom. But hey, I got money and I'm having fun so its all good. Truth be told there was another reason for the delay, a small case of writers block. I didn't know where this story was going, but now Im confident in the end. Don't worry though, we got a good while before that shows up. Now I leave my baby in your hands to judge as you see fit. I only ask that you please leave a review, being out of the writing loop has made me a bit hesitant and I want you to tell me if my writing style's changed or if there's anything I can do to keep improving! More detail, less detail, more dialogue, more in character characters, so on and so forth. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. They help me become a stronger writer!

Disclaimer: Really, its not mine.

* * *

Marceline stirred from her spot on the couch. She blinked the remaining sleep from her eyes as she looked around the room, seeking out the clock. She grimaced at the time, 11:10. AM. She could see the light rays seeping through the cave mouth through her window. The whole Finn situation had screwed up her sleep schedule, it would be a few days before she could get it back into the norm. _Speaking of Finn._ She thought as she looked down at the sleeping mass in her lap.

The young human laid still with his head rested on her legs, his only movements were the calm expansions of his ribcage with every breath . At some point in the night his hat had come askew from where she replaced it, golden locks peeked out around the white material trying to get a taste of the fresh air. Carefully, as not to disturb his sleeping figure, Marceline pulled Finn's hat the rest of the way off. Like a river of liquid gold, his hair fell around him, creating a halo effect for her to look down on. Marceline gasped at how much of a change occurred from such a simple task. This wasn't the boy she had met such a few short years ago, this was someone completely different. His face had a sculpted look to it, nowhere near perfect but enough to be quite handsome for the various bipedal species of Ooo. Various sized scars crisscrossed across his features from the many battles he endured, no one stuck out but they all added to his roughed out look. He was good looking, of that there was no doubt. Marceline didn't understand why he chose to hide such a great feature.

She brushed her fingers through his shining hair, reveling in its softness and surprising lack of tangles. Finn stirred a little from the treatment, a small smile gracing his lips. He murmured a little in his sleep. "Thanks mom..." He said as he tilted his head. Marceline smirked to herself. _Yeah, definitely not your mom, but you're welcome._ She looked over to see Jake still passed out on the floor, he'd morphed his left arm into a pillow while the bottom of his right had stretched out into a blanket. A thick line of drool was running down the side of his face. "Ew..." she said to herself.

As much as she enjoyed the moment, Marceline knew she had to move. With steady hands she lifted her human friend's head high enough to get her legs out, then floated her way through the small opening between the couch and Finn's head. She grabbed a nearby pillow to take her place as his headrest before letting him back down. He didn't stir in the slightest.

_Well, I'm up, might as well take a shower. _The undead teen floated over to the downstairs bathroom and closed the door behind her. A squeak of turning handles could be heard, followed by rushing water. Steam seeped out from under the door, quickly dissipating in the dry air of the living room.

On the couch, Finn began to stir. He stretched himself out, wincing from the strain on his wound. Once more he found himself staring at Marceline's ceiling, picking out its imperfections and patterns as he let his body rest. Soon enough his thoughts turned back to last night's dream. He frowned as he mentally reviewed it, getting more disgruntled with every scene. And then there was that voice at the end, it was... familiar... for some reason, but no matter how hard he thought he couldn't put a face to it. The sound of creaking faucets brought him out of his dream induced stupor, forcing him to turn to its source. The view he received was not what he was expecting.

Floating out from the bathroom and dressed in only a towel was Marceline. "Dressed" would be an over exaggeration though. It started right below her hips, leaving a healthy view of her long, slender legs while the top left a modest amount of cleavage open to the world. Or in this case, Finn.

The blonde human's jaw dropped while his face turned a deeper shade of red than anyone would have thought possible. After a few moments of lost control his chivalry finally decided to kick in, unfortunately it was a split second too late as Marceline Looked over and noticed his conscious state.

"Finn! You're awake! How are you feeling? Is everything okay?" Marceline was oblivious to her current state, instead worried about his well being. Finn only managed a quick sputtering of words.

"Uhh..Yeah I.. I mean..Uh.." His eyes darted around, avoiding hers at all costs. The vampire teen gave him a confused look before looking down at her own image.

"Oh..." She said before quickly covering up while a blush crept across her face. "Uh, sorry Finn, didn't think anyone would be up yet." She slowly started floating towards the ladder.

"N-no no, your fine. I, uh, don't mind... Er, wait! I meant that it's your house and you do what you want. Not that I didn't mind seeing you... like... that... I'm just going to shut up now..." His voice had dipped down to a whisper by the end.

Marceline had stopped at the base of the ladder as he started speaking. The blush on her face growing with every word. _He..Doesn't mind?_ The confused shock was quickly replaced with devious thoughts and a small smirk grew from her features.

"Soo.. You're saying you DONT mind seeing me in only a towel?" She asked mischievously.

Finns face turned another shade deeper.

"NO! I do mind! Er, I mean-"

"Oh, so I'm not up to the great hero's standards huh?

"Wha? NO! No, no, no. You're beautiful! I just meant..." And then it hit him what he had just said.

"Oh glob Marcy, I'm sorry!" She still had her back turned to him, luckily that managed to hide her wide eyed visage. Her mind was blank except for the booming echo of that one word.

"You think... I'm beautiful?" Her voice was just barely above a whisper as she looked down at the floor.

Finn joined her in staring at the floor.

" I... Uh... Yeah... I do.." Silence fell between the two for only a moment, though it felt like an eternity, before Marceline finally responded.

"Thank you." She said before floating up the ladder to her room.

Finn just sighed, returning back to his thoughts and ceiling observation. Though, unlike before, his mind wasn't focusing on the dream. Instead it was occupied by a certain undead teen.

_Man, that's the second time I've seen Marcy like that. At least this time she had a towel. _His blush returned with the memory of the day him and Jake were stuck in Marceline's closet. While trying to make sure the coast was clear he had accidentally peeped while she was indecent. Given he was still young and innocent at that point it had been a slightly traumatizing event. However, as he got older, he found himself digging up that memory from time to time for some odd reason. He shook his head clear of the thought, wincing once more at the sting from his shoulder.

Gingerly, Finn tried to pull himself into a sitting position on the couch. His wound ached and stung, the stitches pulling taut but holding. With one more deep breath he pulled himself up, leaning against the arm with the rest of his body still on the cushions. He looked over to the sleeping form of his brother, noticing the drool slipping out from his jowls. His face was scrunched in concentration as he kicked an invisible enemy.

"Heh heh, gross dude." Said Finn as he reached over for a small couch pillow. Using his good arm he tossed it like a throwing star at the slumbering canine. A solid thump was heard when the two connected. Jake of course, freaked out.

"NOOO! I'm sorry meat man! I didn't know, I swear I didn't know!" he had curled up into a defensive ball with his arms raised as a shield.

"Jake! Calm down dude, it was just a dream."

"Huh? Finn? Oh thank glob. I thought you were meat man. It was that nightmare again..." He trailed off with a haunted look on his face. Finn just nodded having heard about the dream before. Jake yawned before stretching out at an awkward angle.

"So how you feeling man? You were pretty banged up last night."

"Better, sleep took care of the tired feeling, and I'm pretty sure I got most of my blood back. My arm hurts but I can make it back to the tree house easy peas. A few cyclops tears and I'll be rockin again."

"Good to know bro, you can just ride on my back on the way home." He looked around the living room for a second. "Hey, where's Marceline?"

"Upstairs, she just got out of the shower." said Finn looking away.

"Cool. You weren't sneaking a peek were ya?"

"Jaaaaake! Thats pervy!" Jake just chuckled and waved him off.

"Yeah, just checking bro. I'm going to see if she's got anything in the kitchen, the meat dream left me hungry... and disturbed..." With a quick stretch he was in the kitchen, busily ransacking the fridge.

Meanwhile, upstairs.

It was Marceline's turn to stare at the ceiling, an emotional war wracking her thoughts as she did. She floated above her bed, clothed in her usual attire, jeans and grey band shirt.

_He called me beautiful..._

'It's not like he meant it.'

_What if he did?_

'Would it matter? You're still an undead bloodsucker stuck in the dark. He's the friccen Hero of Ooo, light and justice and junk thrive around him.'

_But that's exactly it! He's a good person! Not like Ash, or Marshal... He's kind..._

'It could just be the living blood factory thing.'

_Then why didn't I just make him my slave the moment I found him?_

'Boredom probably, you're not really the kind of gal to pull the love at first sight thing.'

Marceline rolled on her side, hugging herself.

_It was, at first... But then he kept hanging around me. He wasn't afraid like everyone else, and he treated me like I was normal. No matter how many times I scared or threatened him he'd just come back laughing._

'Yeah, he is a pretty goofy kid."

_What if... What if he actually cares?_

'That would be pretty awesome, but there's still the whole aging thing."

_We could deal with that later..._

'Like how much later? A year's like a blink of the eye to you, soon he'd be an old man while you're still trapped in a teen body. Kind of stuck on this one. Force him to give up the light for an eternity with you, or watch him die. Maaaannn, immortality sucks."

Marceline frowned at her conscious's point.

_That... That would be his decision. I'd never force him to give up his life. _

'Yeah, well that's only fair. Better than the choice you got.'

She grimaced remembering the events that led to her turning. The war, the world... the marriage.. Marceline shook her head clear.

"Alright." She said aloud. "I'll ask him. Even if there's a little chance, I want to know." Taking a deep breath, Marceline floated over to the ladder and headed downstairs. She found Finn and Jake enjoying some scrambled eggs in the living room. Finn was sitting up and eating by himself, a major improvement from last night, while Jake sat beside him tucking in heartily.

"Good to see you guys made yourself at home." She said with a smirk. Jake swallowed a mouthful of eggs before responding.

"We know you keep non red food here for us, so don't pull that guilt card."

"What can I say, I like you weenies."

Marceline floated over to the armchair off to the side, laying across the arms.

"So, now that everyone's eaten and Finn's not on the brink of death, what exactly happened?"

Finn had finished his food and carefully set the plate aside before speaking.

"We kind of ran into some trouble at the wizard festival."

"Oh? That's in town again?"

"Yeah, we were looking for something when we sort of got attacked."

"Dont they have wards to prevent that kind of stuff?"

"Not in the dark section." Marceline did a double take.

"You guys went to the dark section!? At night? What the heck is wrong with you? I dont even like going there at night, and I'm a flippin vampire!" Finn rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"We didn't mean to, we just kind of didn't get out fast enough."

"What were you dweebs even looking for in there anyway?" This time it was Jake that was first to answer.

"Looking for a way for Finn to be with his girlfriend without ending up roasted." Had the two boys been physically sensitive, they would have noticed the temperature drop in the room. To be fair though, Marceline kept her face in a perfect imitation of disinterest. She turned to Finn.

"Girlfriend?" He blushed and looked down at his hands.

"She's not.. Not really my girlfriend.. She's the princess of the Fire Kingdom. The last time I saw her she said we couldn't be with each other cause she hurt me and I hurt her." He looked up to see Marceline's glare, confusing its meaning with causing Flame Princess pain. "Oh I didn't mean to hurt her! It just kind of happened whenever I tried to apologize or get close to her." A stroke of hope ran through Marceline.

"Maybe it's for the best, her being made of fire and you being burnable flesh doesn't seem like a good match up." _Please agree, please agree, please agree..._

"Yeah... It hurt, it hurt allot, but not as much as when I looked into her eyes. She was lonely Marceline. Trapped and put on display for years, just waiting for someone to help her. I don't want to leave her like that, I want to show her there's someone who cares about her."

_Damn that hero complex!_

Marceline bit her lower lip. "So what do you need me for? I'm not exactly a wizard you know."

"Yeah, but we heard you might have something that can help. Do you remember the Orb of Osyrous?"

_No..._

Marceline's expression blanked, and she slowly sat upright in the chair turning her face towards the floor. Her long hair covered her features.

_Why would he want it? He can't share his humanity.. Unless..._

"Where did you hear that name..." Her voice had turned into a whisper, yet every word rang through the room.

Remembering what Giacamo had said Finn quickly made up a lie. "Uh, we found it in a book we got from the festival. So do you still have it or know where it is?

_I won't let you do that to yourself.._

"No."

"You don't have it? Or you don't know wher-"

"NO!" This time her voice shook the house. Jakes eyes widened to saucer plates and he pulled himself closer to Finn. Finn pressed on though, hoping to get anything that would help him.

"Please Marcy, this could fix everythi-"

"I said NO Finn!" She looked up at him and he recoiled slightly. Her eyes had become solid black orbs that sparkled with malice and her teeth had lengthened and sharpened giving her a horrifying grimace. "It's gone. And I won't let ANYBODY bring it back."

"Marceline, I..."

"You what? You think you can just throw away what you are?! All for some little girl with issues? I WONT LET YOU!" Her hair was twisting around her, each strand like a miniature snake, but Finn refused to stand down. He stared her down from across the living room while Jake had shrunk down the size of a small puppy.

"Why do you care so much about what I do!" He yelled back at her, ignoring the anger in her eyes. "This could be my chance to be happy with someone! Can't I have that? Do you have any idea what it's like to be alone?"

"Don't talk to me about being alone..I'm over a thousand years old! I've had to watch everyone I care about die or go insane!" She countered.

"Then you know how hard it is! So why can't you be happy for me and help me?!"

"Because you shouldn't throw away what makes you, you! Not for some hot headed princess whose not willing to do the same!" Marceline's words lingered in the air between the two. Over the course of the yelling match her features had returned to normal with the exception of her eyes. The anger was replaced with sorrow and tears were threatening to break free. Finns face had taken on a depressed mask.

"So you won't help us." It was a statement more than a question.

"No.. Not if it means losing what you are."

"Fine." Finn pushed himself to his feet, wobbling unsteadily before grabbing the couch arm. "Let's go Jake." He walked shakily to the door with Jake falling behind him, ready to catch him if he fell. Marceline's gaze never left the spot he once sat. Finn stopped at the doorway, reaching down and picking up his pack. After a few seconds of rifling around he pulled out the stuffed animal he'd bought at the festival.

"This belongs to you Marcy." He said softly. She looked up in time to see the patchwork animal sailing towards her, and she grabbed it out of the air. The vampire queen gasped as she realized what she held and she looked up to ask how he managed to find it, but Finn was already gone. Jake stood at the door looking hesitant, unsure whether to talk or follow his brother. Finally he managed a few words.

"That thing was the reason Finn got hurt ya know.. We would have made it out of there before dark, but he saw that and remembered how much you loved it."

Marceline looked back down at the toy, tears falling from her eyes on to the stitched buttons. "He put himself in danger, just to get me a stupid toy?" She sniffed as the tears continued falling. Jake only nodded.

"He's a good kid, and a lonely one. He'll always put everyone else before himself, but I'd like to see him get something he wants for once. Just think about it okay?" Without another word Jake walked out, closing the door behind him. Leaving her alone once more.

Marceline pulled Hambo close to her, holding him so tightly you'd think she was afraid of it disappearing. Her shoulders shook with every sniffle and sob. For a moment she was no longer Marceline the Vampire Queen. Instead she turned back into that scared little girl from all those years ago, holding her stuffed animal tightly as she cried for the loss of someone she loved.

* * *

So what did ya think? I tried to make Marcelines conscious come off as that cool, relaxed image she always has while Marceline herself is battling the world of emotions. Let me know your thoughts!


End file.
